Forensic Document Examination Overview

Questioned Document Examination

• Questioned documents are those whose authenticity, origin, or production are in doubt.
• Documents may be questioned due to their origin, contents, or the circumstances surrounding their creation.
• These documents may be suspect simply due to someone being displeased with the document.

Document

• A document is any material with marks, symbols, or signs (visible, partially visible, or invisible) that conveys meaning.
• Examples include writing (pencil, ink, typewriter), printing, or typewriting on paper.

Questioned Document Examination

• It's a forensic science discipline examining questioned or disputed documents.
• It aims to provide evidence in legal cases regarding questioned documents.
• It uses scientific processes and methods to analyze questioned handwriting or documents.

Theory

• Handwriting can be identified and differentiated through examination.

Principle

• No two material things are identical.
• Every individual has unique characteristics that distinguish them from others. (individuality).

Example of Questioned Document

• Images of documents with questioned numbers, amounts, and dates were shown.

Most Common Questioned Documents

• Wills
• Letters
• Checks
• Contracts
• Driver's Licenses
• Petitions
• Passports
• Suicide notes
• Lottery tickets
• Voters' registration
• Threatening letters

Cases Involving Questioned Documents

• Forgery
• Gambling
• Mail fraud
• Con games
• Kidnapping
• Counterfeiting
• Embezzlement
• Organized crime
• White-collar crime
• Theft
• Arson
• Robbery
• Homicide
• Art crimes
• Serial murder
• Deviant sex crimes
• Psychological profiling

Holographic Document

• A document entirely written and signed by one person.

Writing

• Writing is a complex act involving mental and muscular coordination, acquiring habits over time.

Handwriting

• Handwriting is the visible result of bodily movements expressing ideas.

Falsification

• Falsification is the act of altering a document's content.

Forgery

• Forgery is falsely making or materially altering a document with fraudulent intent.
• It includes erasing, substituting, or altering parts of a document.

Handwriting Identification

• Handwriting identification aims to determine the author of a written document.

Importance of Documents

• Documents hold significant value in various fields, including legal and personal contexts.

Various Kinds of Document Examination

• Handwriting and Hand Printing - Determining authorship of handwritten or printed documents.
• Typewriter Examinations - Determining if typing on a questioned document was done on a particular typewriter.
• Photocopier Examinations - Determining if a questioned photocopy was altered (e.g., cut and paste from multiple copies).
• Indented Writing Examinations - Examining physical impressions on paper caused by pressure exerted from documents above.
• Charred Document Examinations - Examining documents burned to ash.
• Paper Examinations - Identifying paper type using size, ruling, thickness, watermarks, and composition.
• Writing Media Examinations - Identifying writing media used in a document.
• Tampering, Alterations, Erasure, and Obliteration - Examining altered, erased, or obliterated documents (e.g., raising checks).
• Rubber Stamp and Raised Seal Examinations - Determining the specific rubber stamps used.
• Check Protector Examinations - Determining the specific check writer utilized.

Related Areas of Questioned Document Examination

• Document examiners analyze questioned documents beyond authorship.
• Their abilities are limited by their access to lab equipment.

Paper & Ink Specialists

• Experts analyzing paper, watermarks, ink.
• They use chemical methods.

Handwriting Analysts/Graphist

• These experts analyze handwriting to assess personality traits.
• Forensic stylistics is the study of semantics, spelling, word choice, syntax, and phraseology in handwriting.

Graphology Examples

• Various handwriting characteristics are linked to personality traits.

Historical Dating

• Verifying the age and worth of a document or object.
• This can be as complex as Carbon-14 dating.

Forgery Specialists

• Experts analyzing altered, obliterated, changed, or altered documents.
• Methods include infrared lighting, spectrography, and digital enhancement.

Typewriting Analysts

• Experts on the origin, make, and model used in typewritten documents.

Historical Development of Documents

• Shows the evolution of document creation from cave paintings to modern writing.
• Early examples of documents (like clay tablets) are presented.

Pioneers in Questioned Document Examination

• Figures like Albert Sherman Osborn, and experts like B.J. and J. Howard Haring are noted.
• Other pioneers are featured, including J. Newton Baker and Hans Scheickert, as well as Dr. Wilson R. Harrison.

Questioned Documents Distinguished from Disputed Documents

• A disputed document is always questioned. But a questioned document isn't always disputed.

Classes of Questioned Documents

• Questioned signatures
• Alleged fraudulent alterations
• Holographic documents (challenged/disputed)
• Documents questioned based on age/date
• Documents challenged due to production materials

Examination of Documents

• Assessing origin, production source, process, inscription, integrity, and legitimacy.

Difference: Forgery vs. Falsification

• Forgery applies to treasury/bank notes and similar instruments.
• Falsification relates to public/commercial/private documents.

Writing Materials (Paper)

• The word 'paper' originates from papyrus.
• Papyrus is an ancient paper-like material from the Cyperus papyrus plant.

Types of Paper

• Writing Paper Pads (common)
• Carbon Paper (for clear copies)
• Safety Paper (minimizes forgery)
• Bond Paper (typing/writing)
• Stationeries (special letters)

Classes of Documents

• Public Document - Public documents may be notarized by the law.
• Private Document - Created by an individual regarding private matters.
• Official Document - Created by government agencies.
• Commercial Document - Related to commercial activities.

When a Private Document Becomes Public

• A private document becomes public when it takes on the characteristics of a public document (e.g., notarized will).

Instruments and Equipment in Forensic Document Examination

• Optical Aids (microscopes, magnifying glasses, stereoscopes)
• Measuring Devices (typewriting test plates for analysis, protractors for angle measurements)
• Duplicating Devices (cameras)
• Proper Lighting (transmitted light for transparent material analysis)
• Specialized Equipment (UV light machine, comparators, ESDA, microfiche).
• Portable Equipment (portable microscopes, scanners).
• Protective Equipment (safety equipment like gloves)

Techniques Used in the Examination of Questioned Documents

• Microscopic or Stereoscopic Examination (reveals retouching, etc.)
• Transmitted Light Examination (identifies erasures and alterations, and serrations)
• Oblique Light Examination
• Photographic Examination
• Ultraviolet Examination
• Electrostatic Detection
• Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)
• Court Exhibits preparation

Physiological Basis of Handwriting

• Impulses for forming letters start in the cortex.
• Complex brain areas regulate vision, listening, speech, mobility, etc., to aid the hand in writing.

Development of Handwriting

• Learning handwriting involves:
• Imitation: Initial copying of examples.
• Execution Focus: Shift in focus from letter shape to producing them.
• Automatic Writing: Process becomes less conscious.

This quiz covers the fundamentals of forensic document examination, including techniques for analyzing handwriting, personality traits, and forgery detection. Explore key concepts such as historical dating, typewritten material analysis, and advanced tools used by forensic experts. Enhance your knowledge of the scientific processes behind document examination.