NCJ Number
223899
Date Published
2007
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This report is offered as a guide in the acquisition of handwriting samples in the investigative analysis of questioned documents.
Abstract
Several rules must be applied when obtaining known writing specimens or samples. Highlights of these rules include: (1) questioned and known specimens must be comparable; (2) if there is cursive questioned writing, get cursive known writing; (3) if a questioned signature is potentially fraudulent, get uncontested copies of the authentic signature; (4) if creating blank exemplar forms (handwriting sample forms), photocopy the questioned form, white-out the questioned text, and then re-photocopy the document; (5) to compare a signature, get at least 25 dictated known signature and for extended text, get at least 5 repetitions of that text; (6) do not let subject see questioned writing; (7) get a few samples from the subject's weaker hand; and (8) make sure undictated known writing is contemporaneous to the questioned document. There are 100 sources of known handwriting specimens. Samples of these sources are presented in this guide and range from account books, bank deposit slips, cooking recipes, depositions, greeting cards, inventories, loan applications, package receipts, promissory notes, retail store sales slips, time sheets to wills.