NCJ Number
172047
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 42 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1997) Pages: 411-416
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports the findings of the current study and prior relevant selected studies, all of which examined the effects of alcohol consumption on handwriting.
Abstract
The 26 subjects who participated in the current experiment were given handwriting testing forms that were completed at assigned intervals throughout the testing period. The setting for the completion of the experiment was within a controlled environment with adult students who were attending the Breath Tests for Intoxication School for the use of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) instruments for law enforcement purposes. Handwriting data, BAC level, and time were recorded on the test forms, which were completed before, during, and after drinking. This study did not attempt to determine handwriting characteristics for various BAC levels. It examined, as did the selected prior studies, whether there were differences in handwriting trends during or after the consumption of alcohol. This study validated the previous studies examined in finding that when an individual is under the influence of alcohol, certain handwriting abnormalities may be observed when multiple samples of the individual's handwriting are compared with each other. At least 42 percent of the participants' samples showed an increase in the size and spacing of the writing and a decline in legibility. Time frames for when abnormal handwriting characteristics may be observed varied among individuals. It is not possible to state which specific effects may be observed or what level of intoxication is necessary to bring about handwriting abnormalities. 2 tables, 3 figures, and 12 references