How Forensic Handwriting Analysis Works?

by Kevin Smith Author

Forensic Handwriting Analysis is an investigative tool used to determine the validity of a submission of handwriting. It works on the premise that no two people can produce exactly the same handwriting and that an individual cannot reproduce his own handwriting exactly. This analysis is used in courts and other legal proceedings to establish the validity of submitted written works. Here is how handwriting analysis works.

The Process

Forensic handwriting analysis is the process of comparing a control sample of someone’s handwriting with a submitted sample of handwriting alleged to have been by them. Everyone who writes has particular habits, idiosyncrasies, tendencies, and characteristics in their writing style. Trained handwriting analysts are able to compare documents and determine, based on the control, if a sample was written by the same person or by someone else.

Analysis

Step one is to analyze the known writing sample with the writing sample that may or may not be the authentic writing of the author of the first sample. The documents are examined for unique qualities in letters, word spacing, flourishes and other idiosyncrasies to a particular writer’s style and tendencies.

Comparison

Once baseline characteristics of a writer have been identified, the documents are compared. The Analyst looks for writing characteristics that are different from the verified writing sample. Those differences can be in spelling, grammar, punctuation, effects, and even phraseology. Differences are looked at because they give a baseline idea of how the two documents are likely not written by the same person.

Evaluation

The last step is to look at the similarities between the two documents. The differences in writing samples are great for determining the likelihood of two documents not being written by the same person, but the similarities help build the case if they are. The analyst then has to make a judgment as to the authenticity of the second document based on their analysis of both documents and their similarities and differences.

Forensic Handwriting Analysis is immensely beneficial if you are in need of determining a written document was penned by the same person or in determining if a written document is a fraud. In many cases, court cases hinge on authenticating a handwriting sample. This is primarily used when trying to ascertain the legal authority of a document but sometimes is used in criminal proceedings as well. If you have a situation where verifying the validity of a handwriting sample can make or break a case, there are a lot of experts in forensic handwriting in Albuquerque.