DOCUMENT EXAM (RIP LOL) Flashcards
What is Forensic Document Examination?
Examination of documentary evidence to determine authenticity or authorship
What is a Forensic Document Examiner?
An expert who examines a document to render an opinion about an issue involving the document.
Document issues include?
handwriting, signatures,initials, alterations, obliterations, ink, paper,authenticity, mechanical impressions, dating, torn,charred or water soaked documents or printing processes
What Lab Equipment does a Forensic Document Examiner Use?
- Various magnification devices
- Various light sources and filters
- Instrument to image impressions
- Cameras, PhotoShop, scanners,software applications
What types of cases do Forensic Document Examiners work?
*Homicide
*Anonymous letters – anthrax case
*Medical malpractice – doctoring charts
* Wills and probates – family feuds or caretaker theft… ect
HANDWRITING
Can be positively identified based upon a pattern of individualized characteristics
The Principles of Handwriting Identification
- No two writers share the same combination ofhandwriting characteristics.
*Each writer has a range of variation centeredwithin his or her basic writing habits.
Handwriting Characteristics
- Class characteristics: common to a group
- Individual characteristics: identifiable– Deviations from the class forms– Repeated, unconscious habits developed over time
Preliminary Examination of Questioned documents
A document is usually questioned because of its origin, its contents,or the circumstances and story regarding its production, arouse serious suspicion as to its genuineness, or it may be adversely scrutinized simply because it displeases someone by its unexpected provisions
(SWGDOC)
Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination
Types of Rock Art
Petroglyph: drawings carved,incised, scratched,abraded or combination methods on stone
Pictograph:paintings on stone with natural pigments (e.g.charcoal, manganesedioxide, graphite)
Cuneiform
Southern Mesopotamia in 3300 B.C. invented by Sumerians
13 languages used it
600+ signs used as symbols for words/syllables
used for approximately 3,300 years
inscribed on soft clay with wedge shaped reed Then baked in sun
Egyptian Hieroglyphs
developed around 3,200 B.C
representation of recognizable objects:
ideograms: specific/closely related object
phonograms: phonetic value
750+ signs
10 years to become Egyptian scribe citizens couldn’t read hieroglyphs
Rosetta Stone
discovered 1799 by Napoleon’s soldiers
found in small village in Egypt’s Western Delta –Rashid AKA Rosetta
decree from 196 BC in3 scripts:
Hieroglyphs
Demotic
Greek
First Alphabet
developed by Phoenicians along Mediterranean Coast 1500 B.C.
22 letters
moving from ideographic -> phonetic
adopted by Greeks around 900 B.C.
Handwriting Basic Fundamentals
hand complex: 27 bones, 40+ muscles
motor activity controlled by brain executed by effector (i.e. hand or foot)
Handwriting and Age
speed of writing increases between 7 and 9 yrs
Tapers at 13 yrs- little further increase
speed – simplest measure of writing proficiency
Neuroanatomical Basis of Handwriting
primary motor cortex:controls fine muscle movement (e.g. finger movement)
* somatosensory cortex: gathers somato sensory input and controls handwriting pressure and grip
* premotor cortex: visual guidance by coordinating movements from muscle groups
Brain Activation in Writing
Premotor area of brain key player in handwriting movements
Formatting/Arrangement:
Indentations
the blank space produced by indenting
Left and right margins
placement• size•consistency
Interline spacing
distance between lines
Slope
rising/falling of writing along a line
Writing Styles
Print
Cursive
Mixed
Handwriting Features
Writing styles
Legibility
Corrections/modifications/additions
Location of handwriting to printed portion of doc
Line Quality
combination speed, rhythm, shading, pen pressure and pen position
consistency of stroke(s)
smooth and controlled vs. tremulous and erratic
tapered terminal stroke
writing instrument still in motion when it leaves paper’s surface
also called flying finish
often observed ingenuine writing
blunt terminal stroke
writing instrument leaves paper’s surface abruptly
often observed in simulations
Slant
angle or inclination of the axis of letters relative to the baseline of writing
Left* Upright* Right* Mixed
Slope/Alignment
the spatial organization of writing pattern,its linear arrangement of words and intervening spaces and their accommodation of the page
Pen Lifts
an interruption in a stroke due to the removal of the writing instrument from the paper
Collection of Specimens
In a signature case, clients should try to submit 10-20specimen signatures,preferably originals andpreferably from the sameapproximate time period asthe questioned signature.
Questioned document
disputed document associated with matter under investigation
Known specimen
of established origin associated with matter under investigation
Characteristic
Feature, quality, attribute or property ofwriting
Variation
Variation is an integral part of natural writing.
No two writings of the same material are identical inevery detail.
can be influenced by internal factors such as illness, medication, intentional distortion, etc. and external factors such as writing conditions and writing instrument, etc.
Natural Variation
Normal or usual divergence found between repeated specimens of one individual’s handwriting
Range of variation
narrow* average* wide
significant similarity
individualizing characteristic incommon between two or more handwritten items
significant difference
individualizing characteristic different between handwritten items, outside writer’s range of variation and cannot be reasonably explained
ACE-V
A – Analysis
C – Comparison
E – Evaluation
V – Verification
Procedure for theExamination of Handwritten Items
Read letter of instruction from client. Clarify instructions with client, if necessary. What is required for the examination?
Were you provided with the original?
Determine if the questioned document(s) is written naturally or whether it appears to be distorted writing
Factors that ImpactHandwriting
writing posture stance , paper orientation, writing surface, Temporal States ( drugs alcohol)
Writing Systems
Palmer business writing,Zaner Bloser (used in Ontario schools), D’Nealian, etc
Physiological Constraints
Foot, Mouth, Artificial aids (Prostheses), Deafness ect
Handedness
preference using one hand over otherfor manual tasks
Left-Handedness
Historically 5 – 6%
Currently 10 – 15%
2x more males than females
3x more identical twins
normal posture
writing instrument directed away from writer’s body
inverted posture
writing instrument directed towards writer’s body
Infirmity
Age related decline
Deathbed signatures
Forgery
Crime of falsely and fraudulently making or altering a document
Initials
Consist of one or more characters, representing the firstletters of a person’s given name,surname and sometimes middle name(s
Direct: Tracing Using Transmitted Light
lluminate genuine with back lighting, e.g. a window then trace signature
Indirect: Guidelines
document with genuine signature placed on top of target document* traced with heavy pressure using sharp object
Indirect: Carbon Copy
Target document under carbon paper and genuine signature doc placed on top
Indirect: Tracing Paper
Tracing/highly translucent paper placed over genuine signature
Tracing Devices
Ghost Writer* invisible writer + developer
Spectroline Signature Verification System* luminescent transfer product
No Clue Fabric Marker* guideline washed away with tap water
Reflection Sketcher* screen projects desired image onto blank paper
Pantograph* enlarges/reduces signature by following lines of original with stylus
Art Reproducer* mirror reflects down on paper for tracing
Auto Pen
a device used for the automatic signing of a signature or autograph
Disguise
Disguise Deliberate attempt to remove/modify writing habits
Simulation
copy writing as close as possible to genuine
GANG TAGS
Gangs tag areas to mark their territory
Gangs advertise to new recruits
Gangs highlight their status and power
GANG TAG ELEMENTS
Arrows: point to this area belongs to us
GANG TAG ELEMENTS
Arrows: point to this area belongs to us
WHAT IS GRAFFITI?
writings or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted illicitly on the wall or other surface,often within public view
TAG
A graffiti writer’s moniker applied rapidly and repetitively
THROW-UP
Also known as bombing and is a more elaborate tag usually completed in two or more colours
BLOCKBUSTER OR ROLLER
A large piece usually in a block-shaped style covering a larger area. It is created with paint rollers and exterior paint.
WILDSTYLE
It has interlocking letters and connected points. It is hard to read because letters are often undecipherable and merge into one another
PIECES
are large,detailed multi-colour drawings that may take over an hour to complete. They are a full piece of art that can be found on walls, billboards, train cars and other large objects. These are judged in competition graffiti.
Taggers VS. WRITERS
Taggers
Use a moniker that they want to get up as many times as possible
Writers
Often work in small groups called “crews”and produce more artistic pieces
Applied linguistics
is an approach to understanding language issues in the real world
It draws on theory, data, facts and analysis to solve puzzles related to language
Phonetics
is the study of speech sounds
Semantics
the study of meaning in words and sentences
Pragmatics
The study of how to do things with language
Logographic
each graph represents a units of linguistic meaning. Chinese and languages that borrow Chinese characters (Japanese and Korean) are now the only languages that use logographic writing.
Syllabic
each graph represents a syllable. Japanese hiragana and katagana are examples
Alphabetic
vowel and consonant sounds are associated with individual alphabetic symbols. English is an example, together with symbols like @, #, $. %, &, etc.
Qualitative
when features are identified and described as being characteristic of an author
Quantitative
when indicators are identified and measured, e.g. their relative frequency of occurrence in a given sampling of writers
Sign of speed in the writing are
All:
Smooth Rounded Strokes
Good line quality
Decreasing size of words
Signs of Forgery include
All:
Tremors in the writing line
Pen lifts in unnatural places
Tracing Evidence
Which statement is true
Primary signs of speed in handwriting include smooth and unbroken strokes
Factors that effect handwriting include
All:
The age of the writer
Substance abuse
The writing Surface
As an investigator, what should NOT be done when collecting requested specimen writing from a person of interest?
Instruct the POI on the arrangement, spelling, and punctuation of the dictated text
What forensic organization was established in 2015, ANSI accredited in 2016 and has twelve consensus bodies?
American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board (ASB
What is the function of the primary motor cortex?
Controls fine muscle movement
A petroglyph is:
a drawing carved, incised, scratched, abraded or a combination of methods on stone
Line quality is a handwriting feature that can be defined as:
A combination of speed, rhythm, shading, pen pressure and pen position
Which statement is FALSE?
A tapered terminal stroke is when a writing instrument leaves the paper’s surface abruptly
Which of the following is NOT a limitation in handwriting comparisons:
Original questioned documents
What are some observations that have been made from writers under the influence of alcohol? Choose the BEST answer.
ALL
Illegibility
Often larger
Problem crossing “”s and dotting “¡”s
Irregular spacing
What is the most common writing system used in Ontario?
Zaner Bloser
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Natural variations the normal or usual divergence found between repeated specimens of one individual’s handwriting.
According to the Scientific Working Group for Documents (SWGDOC) Standards, an Identification conclusion can be made when:
All
The examiner has no reservations about their opinion
The examiner is certain the writer of the known material wrote the questioned writing - highest degree of confidence
Which of the following statements is TRUE with respect to the Likelihood Ratio?
The Likelihood Ratio Approach is also known as the Bayesian approach and has been used for over 50 years.
writer can not write lower than his skill
False
Which feature is NOT obscured or lost by examining a photocopy?
The printing process that was used to generate the copy
The duplicate signature is indicative of
Traced Forgery
Digital Forgery
Wax Transfer
no torn paper fibres
transfer + original has indentations
glossy appearance
Tape Transfer
tearing of paper fibres
tape absorbed indentations caused by transfer instrument
possible to destroy genuine signature
Long Pen
remote controlled pen and video conferencing device, intended to bring “live” author signings to faraway locations
TYPOGRAPHIC
How ink is deposited onto paper
Types: Laser printer & Ink Jet
