A recurring problem for the forensic document examiner (FDE) is the submission of handwriting, printing or signature specimens that are inappropriate, of poor quality, or of insufficient quantity. All of these factors may limit the scope of the analysis and affect the strength of conclusion rendered. Clients who fail to understand the importance of the documents supplied may be disappointed with the results - a situation that can often be avoided. For this reason, a very detailed section on comparison specimens follows.
FDE's rely on comparison specimens (also referred to as samples or exemplars) - either in the form of collected or request samples - to determine whether or not a given writer executed a disputed document.
Collected Specimens
Collected handwriting specimens are those samples that are produced in the course of daily living. They can be obtained from business, correspondence, or personal files.
When collecting specimens, it is important to look for like items.
For example, a questioned signature is compared against other signatures; a series of contested letters against extended handwriting; numerals with numerals.
Other important factors that need to be considered when collecting samples are:
1. Use
Signatures and extended writings vary in execution quality and style. Signatures may be more carefully written on formal occasions, such as when signing a mortgage or will, and more casually executed in less formal circumstances, for instance, on a paycheque or time card.
2. Date
The date also has to be considered when looking for adequate samples. A person's writing changes to varying degrees over time, much like personal physical appearance. Specimens executed well before or after the date of the document in question may not have enough similarity for comparison purposes. In this case, the best collected samples are those executed contemporaneously to the document in question. This is especially true if a signature is at issue.
3. Illness and Old Age
Old age and illness may have dramatic effects on the writing of the individual. Such signatures or extended writings may differ significantly from those signatures or writings executed while healthy. This is problematic for the document examiner, not only because the former are likely of poor quality, but also because they are often limited in quantity. Further complicating examination of an aged or ill person's signatures and extended writings are the unusual conditions under which they were executed, such as signing while in bed or while heavily medicated.
Sources of Collected Specimens
Personal
Academic
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Employment
Financial
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Miscellaneous
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Request Specimens
Request handwriting specimens are produced with the intention of being compared to the document in dispute. Several precautions need to be taken to ensure that such samples can be used by the document examiner.
1. Discomfort and Nervousness
To assist a writer in producing a sample that is indicative of his or her natural writing habits, it is important to reduce anxiety. Requesting a large amount of extended writing, produced over a period of time, is the best method to lessen tension. The writer will become more comfortable and less nervous the longer the passage of writing.
2. Deliberate Disguise
To counter attempts at disguise it is important to ensure that the questioned document is not in the view of the writer while the samples are being prepared. The material has to be dictated - no instructions about punctuation, spelling, or capitalization should be given. The pace of dictation should vary to force the writer to execute at different speeds. It is important to use a separate page for each signature or extended dictation. Remove each completed page from view to discourage attempts at copying. These procedures will ensure that the final product reflects the writer's natural patterns, or reveal the writer's attempt to disguise the exemplar.
3. Differences in Script or Style
The style may also need to be specified. If the document in question was written in a cursive form, then the request specimen needs to be written in a similar form; if the document is in block capitals, then the request sample needs to be written in block capitals as well.
The Number of Specimens Required
Although there are no hard and fast rules as to the exact number of samples required, some guidelines should be adhered to. The most common limitation of comparison samples is that there are not enough. When a signature is in dispute 10 to 30 specimens should reflect the writer's natural variation. If it does not, then a larger number of exemplars is needed. With extended writing 3 to 7 pages of continuous writing should be sufficient, provided it is not disguised and contains word and letter combinations found in the questioned material.