Handwriting examination—forensic handwriting expert in Kraków
Forensic handwriting examination is a specialised field of forensic expertise aimed at identifying the author of handwriting, a signature or an abbreviated signature. In criminal and civil proceedings, analysing handwriting features can establish document authenticity, detect forgeries and assess agreement between questioned and comparison material.
Introduction
Handwriting examinations assume that handwriting is individual. As Locard notes, the graphic features of handwriting arise from the writer’s established motor habits and the anatomical characteristics of the human musculoskeletal system (Locard, 1959).
During an expert examination, features analysed include letter proportions, handwriting rhythm, character connections and the dynamics of writing movement.
Handwriting identification methods
Forensic literature describes numerous handwriting identification methods. The most frequently used include:
- the graphic comparative method,
- the graphometric method,
- handwriting variability analysis,
- statistical handwriting identification methods,
- geometric-structural methods.
In handwriting experts’ practice, the dominant approach is the graphical comparison method, comparing the graphic features of questioned material with reference material (Leśniak, 2012).
Questioned material and comparison material
The examination is based on material divided into:
- questioned material – questioned writing,
- comparison material —handwriting samples from the person examined.
Reference material should match the questioned material as closely as possible in terms of writing instrument, type of writing, conditions of production and the date the document was created.
Stages of handwriting examination
Handwriting examination proceeds in stages and includes:
Preliminary examinations
This stage assesses the material's suitability for examination, completeness and legibility.
Detailed examination
- analysis of letter construction
- analysis of character proportions
- analysis of handwriting rhythm and pace
- analysis of motor features
Examination documentation
Examination documentation includes a description of the material and examination methodology, together with illustrations of the characteristics underpinning the expert opinion.
The evidential value of an expert opinion
A handwriting opinion constitutes expert opinion evidence assessed by the procedural authority.
Its evidential value is affected primarily by:
- quality of examination material,
- the correctness of the methodology used,
- logical consistency of conclusions,
- the completeness of examination documentation.
References (APA 6)
Całkiewicz, A. (2009). Kryminalistyczne badania patologicznego pisma ręcznego. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Akademickie i Profesjonalne.
Leśniak, M. (2012). The evidential value of a handwriting opinion. Pińczów: B.S. Training.
Locard, E. (1959). Les faux en écriture et leur expertise. Paris: Payot.
Moszczyński, J. (2011). Subiektywizm w badaniach kryminalistycznych [Subjectivity in forensic examinations]. Olsztyn: University of Warmia and Mazury.