Forensic science unit 3 Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is a Questioned Document?
A systematic way of evaluating and reviewing documents, both electronic and printed.
Includes any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other marks whose source or authenticity is under suspicion.
List some examples of the most common Questioned Documents.
- Letters
- Checks
- Drivers Licenses
- Contracts
- Wills
- Voter registration
- Passports
- Petitions
- Threatening letters
- Suicide notes
- Lottery Tickets
What types of cases commonly involve Questioned Documents?
- Forgery
- Counterfeiting
- Mail fraud
- Kidnapping
- Embezzlement
- Gambling
- Art crimes
- Theft/Robbery/Burglary
- Arson
- Homicide
- Organized crime
- White collar crime
- Con games
When was forensic document examination first used?
In the third century in Rome.
Protocols for identifying forgery were established by jurists under Roman law.
What significant code was established in 539 AD regarding handwriting?
The Justinian Code on handwriting comparison for guidelines in Roman courts.
What is the basis of Forensic Graphology?
The theory that handwriting is an expression of personality.
What are the applications of handwriting analysis in a professional setting?
- Signature verification and authentication
- Personality profiling through handwriting analysis
- Self-personality assessment
- Exploring personality of different individuals
- Knowing the thought process of a child
What is the role of a QD Examiner?
Scientifically analyzes the whole document to determine the source or authenticity.
What is the role of a Graphologist?
Profiles character or personality and does NOT analyze handwriting to determine authenticity or origin.
True or False: Graphology is admissible in court.
False.
Graphology has been scrutinized for lack of scientific evidence.
What are the characteristics of handwriting?
- Unique
- A learning process
- Changes over a person’s lifetime
What is the first step in the learning process of writing?
Using writing tablets and tracing paper, copying letters of the alphabet.
Fill in the blank: Individual characteristics become habitual and _______ before handwriting becomes unique.
repetitious
What are individual characteristics in handwriting?
Characteristics that are unique only to a specific writer.
List some types of individual characteristics in handwriting.
- Skill Level
- Slant
- Form
- Movement
- Proportions
- Height
- ‘I’ Dot
- ‘t’ Crossing
- Baseline Alignment
- Retracing
- Spacing
- Case
- Loops
- Pressure
How is skill level determined in handwriting analysis?
Based on the overall appearance, which can be high or low depending on the writer’s experience and habits.
What does ‘slant’ refer to in handwriting analysis?
The angle of writing, which can be forward or backward.
What does ‘movement’ refer to in handwriting analysis?
The way a pen moves in order to make a mark or form a letter.
What does ‘pressure’ indicate in handwriting analysis?
The difference in ink or pencil width or shade, helping to show the direction of movement.
What are proportions in handwriting analysis?
The symmetry of an individual letter.
What is observed in baseline alignment?
The alignment of the text in relation to the baseline.
What is the significance of spacing in handwriting?
The area between letters or words, which can indicate the writer’s habits.
What is required for a positive comparison in handwriting analysis?
A sufficient number of common characteristics between the known and questioned samples.
