Handwriting Analysis

History of Handwriting Analysis

Handwriting analysis is incredibly important in identifying forgeries. Checks and other important documents that require signatures can easily be forged, but forensic handwriting analysis can judge their authenticity and therefore prevent criminals from getting away with their misdeed. Handwriting analysis was first proposed in the 19th and 20th centuries by Abbe Jean Michon, Alfred Binet, and Milton Bunker. However, graphology has more to do with the relation of handwriting styles to psychology and the personality of the writer than actual forensic examination. Forensic handwriting analysis wasn't actually used or introduced in criminal investigations until the beginning of the 20th century.

12 Characteristics of Handwriting:

1.  Line quality:

-Is seeing if the pen marks are smooth and free flowing or shaky and wavering? This could connect to the speed that the document was written at.

2. Spacing of words and letters:

-What is meant by the spacing between letters and words? Is it consistent?

3. Ratio of the relative height, width and size of letters:

-What is the ratio? Is it consistent?

4. Pens lifts and separations:

-Does the person stop to form new letters and begin words? Some forgeries may have lifts in unusual places.

5. Connecting strokes:

-Are the capital letters connected to lowercase letters and are there connecting strokes between letters and words?

6. Beginning and ending strokes:

- Are they straight, curled, long or short, an upstroke or a down-stroke?

7. Unusual letter formation:

-Are there any unusually formed letters such as backward, letters with a tail, or unusual capital letters?

8. Shading or pen pressure:

-Is the pen pressure on the upward or the downward strokes?

9. Slant:

-Is slant left or right or straight up and down? Is there consistency between the slants of letters?

10. Baseline habits:

-Is the writing above or below a line?

11. Flourishes and embellishments:

-Are there any? If so what are they?

12. Diacritic placement:

-How the T’s are crossed? Also taking note of the dotting of lowercase I’s and J’s. For example the dots could go to the right or left of the letter?

 

How would you tell that they are forgeries?  Which do you think is easier as a forgery technique:  free handing or tracing?

One way of telling that something is a forgery is making sure that you use each of the 12 characteristics of one’s handwriting. From experience in lab, I found that tracing someone’s handwriting is a better method when forging someone’s handwriting.

-My handwriting

    My most distinguishing characteristic were Intense strokes, consistent spacing, lifting of pen when changing words, capital letters connected to lowercase, Q’s Y’s and G’s were cut off with no curve , down strokes, slants down, and J’s were also below the line.

 Case:

-Mark Hofmann Case

In 1980, Hofmann said that he had found a seventeenth-century King James Bible with a folded paper gummed inside. The document seemed to be the transcript that Joseph Smith's scribe Martin Harris had presented to Charles Anthon, a Columbia classics professor, in 1828. According to the Mormon scripture Joseph Smith—History, the transcript and its unusual "reformed Egyptian" characters were copied by Smith from the Golden Plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon. Hofmann constructed his version to fit Anthon's description of the document, and its "discovery" made Hofmann's reputation. Dean Jessee, an editor of Joseph Smith's papers and the best-known expert on handwriting and old documents in the Historical Department of the LDS Church, concluded that the document was a Joseph Smith holograph. The LDS Church announced the discovery of the Anthon Transcript in April and purchased it from Hofmann for more than USD $20,000. Appraised by the LDS church for $25,000, it was purchased on October 13 in exchange for several artifacts the church owned in duplicate, including a $5 gold Mormon coin, Deseret banknotes, and a first edition of the Book of Mormon. Assuming the document to be genuine, prominent Mormon apologist Hugh Nibley predicted that the discovery promised "as good a test as we'll ever get of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon" because he thought the paper might be translated. The eccentric Barry Fell shortly claimed to have decoded the text. Hofmann promptly dropped out of school and went into business as a dealer in rare books. He soon fabricated other historically significant documents and became noted among LDS Church history buffs for his "discoveries" of previously unknown materials pertaining to the Latter Day Saint movement. These deceived not only members of the First Presidency — notably Gordon B. Hinckley — but also document experts and distinguished historians. Document examiner George Throckmorton analyzed several Hofmann documents that had previously been deemed authentic and determined they were forgeries. Throckmorton noted that three letters purportedly written by Joseph Smith from an Illinois prison used different ink, paper, and writing instruments. (Because the letters had been authenticated by different experts, the inconsistencies had earlier escaped detection.) Throckmorton also discovered that some documents, supposedly written by different people, had similar writing styles and that they had been written with homemade iron gall ink that looked cracked like alligator skin under a microscope, although authentic period documents did not. Investigators also found that a poem used to authenticate the handwriting in the salamander letter had been forged by Hofmann and inserted in a Book of Common Prayer once owned by Martin Harris. Hofmann was arrested for murder and forgery in February 1986. He initially maintained his innocence; but rather than risk the death penalty, in January 1987, he plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of theft by deception, confessing his forgeries in open court. In January 1988, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Works Cited:

http://www.ehow.com/about_6102496_forensic-science_-hair-fiber-analysis.html 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk

http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/collect.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton

http://www.centralreg.k12.nj.us/webpages/SHopson/files/hair.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester

http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/forensic-cases-murder-leanne-tiernan.html