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Examination and comparison of questioned documents with known material

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Document analysis

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-any signature, handwriting, typewriting,or other written mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute

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Questioned document

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-specially trained person who scientifically analyzes handwriting and other features in a document -May be called to crime-scene area or lab to examine the handwriting of ransom notes , threatening notes, or suicide notes

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Document expert

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-analyze and compare various traits such as the appearance of letters of suspicious documents with known samples to help identify author of the document -May also be asked to detect changes that may have occurred in an original document

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Investigators

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-differs from a document expert -studies the personality of the writer based on handwriting samples -the study of graphology is not necessarily accepted as part of forensic science but is possible indicator of writer's personality type

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Graphologist

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-individual evidence because it is unique and personalized -since handwriting is difficult to disguise and forge, handwriting analysis is a good tool for including or excluding persons when determining a match between exemplars and questioned documents

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Handwriting

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-Handwriting analysis played important forensic role during the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann -handwriting analysis of the many ransom notes, along with known handwriting samples and other evidence led to conviction -today his involvement is questioned because of manner in which samples were collected and how evidence was handled

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1930s

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-U.S Court of Appeals determined that handwriting analysis qualified as a form of expert testimony -handwriting evidence became admissible in court provided that scientifically accepted guidelines are followed

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1999

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-Scotland Yard -the F.B.I -the Secret Service -these companies use handwriting analysis in solving important cases

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Use Handwriting analysis

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-occurs in everyone's handwriting depending on several factors Factors include: -different types of writing instruments -mood -age -whether individual is hurried or not

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Natural variations

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-each person has a unique handwriting style -brain does the writing -adults show slight variation in handwriting because they've learned to write through basically same method -once a person starts writing subconsciously with characters formed as a result of habit, unique handwriting is formed

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Handwriting style

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Twelve major characteristics are....

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Functions of letter form, line form, and formatting

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Includes: -shape of letters -curve of letters -angle or slant of letters -proportional size of letters -use and appearance of connecting lines between letters -whether "t"'s crossed or "i"'a dotted

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Letter form

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Includes: -smoothness of letters -darkness of lines in the upward compared to the downward stroke -line form is influenced by the speed of writing and pressure exerted while writing -choice of instrument can also influence line form

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Line form

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Includes: -spacing between letters -spacing between words and lines -placement of words on a line -margins a writer leaves empty on a page

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Formatting

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-do the letters flow or are they erratic or shaky?

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Line quality

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-are letters equally spaced or crowded?

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Spacing

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-is the ratio of height to width consistent ?

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Size consistency

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-is the writing continuous or does the writer lift the pen?

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Continuous

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-are capitals and lowercase letters connected and continuous ?

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Connecting letters

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-are letters completely formed ? -or is a part of the letter missing ?

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Letters complete

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-are there printed letters, cursive letters, or both?

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Cursive and printed letters

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-is pressure equal when applied to upward and downward strokes?

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Pen pressure

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Left, right , or variable ?

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Slant

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-is the text on the line , above the line, or below the line ?

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Line habits

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-are there fancy curls or loops ?

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Fancy curls or loops

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Correct or misplaced ? Where are t's crossed ? Top ? Middle ? Bottom ? Are I's dotted ?

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Placement of crosses on "t"s and dots on "i"s

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.....is to answer questions about a suspicious document and determine authorship using a variety of scientific methods

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Goal of forensic handwriting analysis

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-based on principle of identification that two writings are the product of one person if the similarities are unique and there are no fundamental unexplainable differences

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Methods

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-documents made, adapted, or falsified with the intention of deceiving someone

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Forgeries

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1. The questioned document and the standards(exemplars) are examined and detectable characteristics are recorded 2. Characteristics of the questioned item are compared with the known standard. For samples similar to questionable document thorough analysis of all characteristics must be made. 3. Experts determine which characteristics are valuable for drawing a conclusion about authenticity and authorship of questioned document

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Three steps in analyzing a sample

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-Doesn't necessarily guarantee common authorship -Because it is possible that unique characteristics of a persons handwriting may occur in another's handwriting

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Similarities

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-When a person has tried to disguise their handwriting or copy someone else's handwriting

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Conscious writing effort

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1. A suspect should not be shown the questioned document 2.a suspect should not be given any instructions about punctuation or spelling 3. The pen and paper should be similar to that of the questioned document

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To minimize conscious writing effort

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-Are done with: -handheld lens -naked eye -microscope

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Initial comparisons

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-can determine if more than one kind of ink was used on a document - this is because of the way that different inks may absorb or reflect different wavelengths of light such as infrared

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Infrared spectroscope

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-designed for identity authentification -computerized pad recognizes signature based on speed, pressure, and rhythm of signing your name -forgeries can be detected by slight differences detected by the pad

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Biometric pad

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-has advantage of being faster and more objective than analysis by an individual

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Computerized analysis

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-computerized handwriting database used and maintained by the Secret Service -investigators scan in handwritten documents for a comparitive analysis, once sample is scanned it can be compared to other existing handwriting in the database -this system has verified that no two writers pen their words exactly the same nor do they have the same combination of handwriting characteristics

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Forensic Information System for Handwriting

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-expert handwriting witness must prepare a written report of analysis to present to a jury -indicates how comparisons were made and how it indicates suspects guilt or innocence -validates comparisons by showing jury similarities or dissimilarities that led to final conclusion

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Courtroom

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1. Quality of standards obtained often determines the quality of a comparison analysis, and good standards may be difficult to obtain 2. the effects of mood,age,drugs,fatigue, and illness on a persons handwriting

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Limitations of handwriting analysis

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-establishment that offers programs that certify the training of document analysis

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American Board of Forensic Document Examiners

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Include: -checks -employment records -legal agreements - licenses -wills

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Forged documents

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-when material gain such as money accompanies a forgery

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Fraudulence

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-Americans write more than 70 billion checks a year -approximately 27 million in illegitimate checks are cashed each day

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Check forgery

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-ordering someone else's checks from a deposit slip -directly altering a check -intercepting someone's check, altering it, and cashing it -creating forged checks from scratch

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Ways checks can be altered

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-print checks on chemically sensitive paper -use a large font size that requires more ink and makes alterations more difficult -use high resolution borders on checks that are difficult to copy -print checks in multiple color patterns -embed fibers in checks that glow under different types of lights -use chemical-wash detection systems that change color when a check is altered

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Methods to prevent check forgery

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Refers to forgery of a piece of writing, such as a historic letter or a manuscript

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Literary forgery

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-use old paper from old books in their forgeries -mix their own inks from material that would have been used at a certain time -Documents are sometimes chemically treated to make them look older -Chemicals may be added to the paper to age both the paper and the ink

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Good literary forgers

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-mark Hoffman -master forger -created several hundred forged documents including 116 Mormon pages

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1980s

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-when false documents or other items are copied for the purpose of deception this is known as counterfeiting -is a federal Felony punishable with up to 15 years in prison -The U.S Secret Service is the federal agency in charge of investigating counterfeit currency.

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Counterfeiting

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-travelers checks -certain bonds -currency -food stamps -postage stamps -paper money

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Counterfeited items

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-has built in security features so it can't be scanned and reproduced easily

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Money

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-feels different because real money is printed on special paper -paper is number ONE security feature of money

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Counterfeit money

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-counterfeit pens contain the element iodine , when they come in contact with a counterfeit bill the paper marked with the pen will change to a bluish black color -the color change is caused by a chemical reaction involving starch -REAL CURRENCY DOES NOT CONTAIN STARCH - when real money is marked a pale yellow stain is formed which fades away shortly after

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Detecting counterfeit currency

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-claim counterfeit pen is 98% effective -however U.S government doesn't concede with this level of effectiveness and uses additional criteria for judging whether currency is counterfeit -furthermore there is currently a global movement to change to polymer money, a type of plastic money

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Pen manufacturers

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Include: -handwriting -computer printouts -commercial printing -paper + ink -threatening, ransom, or suicide notes

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Field investigations

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