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Questioned document examination is known by many names including forensic document examination, document examination, diplomatics, handwriting examination, and sometime handwriting analysis, although the latter name is not often used as it may be confused with graphology. Likewise a forensic document examiner is not to be confused with a graphologist, and vice versa. The questioned document division of a crime lab is sometimes referred to as "QD" in popular media.

The task of document examination is to answer questions about a document using a variety of scientific processes and methods. Many examinations involve a comparison of the questioned document, or components of the document, to a set of known standards. The most common type of examination involves handwriting wherein the examiner tries to address concerns about potential authorship. It should be noted that personality traits cannot be delineated from handwriting with any accuracy. A questioned or suspect document may be one of many types as outlined below. One task of a document examiner is to determine if a questioned item originated from the same source as the known item(s), then present their opinion in court as an expert witness. Other tasks include determining what has happened to a document, determining when a document was produced, or deciphering information on the document that has been obscured, obliterated or erased.

Scope of document examination

A forensic document examiner is intimately linked to the legal system as a forensic scientist. In this context, the term "forensic" represents the word "legal", thus forensics is the application of science to address issues under consideration in the legal system.

In Canada, common criminal charges involved in a document examination case fall into the "white-collar crime" category. These include forgery, counterfeiting, fraud, or uttering a forged document. However, documents may be important in many other contexts.

A forensic document examiner deals with items that form part of a case which may or may not come before a court of law. The many types of possible examinations are as follows:

Historical cases

Candidacy

A person who desires to enter a career of forensic document examination must possess certain traits and abilities. First and foremost, excellent eyesight is required in order to see fine details that are otherwise inconspicuous. The aspirant must also pass a form blindness test in order to ensure that the aspirant does not suffer from the condition of being unable to tell apart two similarly-appearing, yet different, items. A bachelor of science degree is also typically required, for it gives the aspirant a scientific background with which to approach the work in an objective manner, as well as bestowing necessary biological, physical, and chemical knowledge sometimes called upon. Additional desirable skills would include knowledge of paper, ink, printing processes, or handwriting.

Training

There are three possible methods of instruction for an aspiring document examiner:

  1. Self-education is the way in which the pioneers of the field began, as there was no other method of instruction. Unfortunately, there is a very real danger that the student will follow a stray path, with no direction to steer him or her back on course. That is why this method is generally frowned upon nowadays in favour of the following methods.
  2. Apprenticeship has become the widespread manner in which almost all examiners are now taught. In fact, this is the method that is required for proper certification and membership to an established organization.
  3. College and/or university programs are very limited at this time. In part, this is due to the relatively limited demand for forensic document examiners. It also relates to the need for extensive practical experience; particularly with respect to handwriting examination. It would be very difficult to include this degree of practical experience in a normal academic program. Nonetheless, a couple of academic programs directly related to forensic document examination are:
    1. Oklahoma State University Grad Program in Forensic Science
    2. L'Université de Lausanne Institut de Police Scientifique (Lausanne, Switzerland)

A more extensive listing relating to forensic training may be viewed at the website for the Canadian Society of Forensic Science

A forensic document examination trainee must learn how to present evidence before the court in clear, forceful testimony. Fledgling examiners in the later stages of training can get a glimpse into the legal process as well as a better sense of this aspect of their work through participation in a mock trial or by attending actual court hearings to observe the testimony of qualified examiners.

Examination

The process of examination proceeds from the principle of identification and can be expressed as: "Two writings are the product of one person if the similarities, when taken in combination, are sufficiently individual and there are no fundamental differences."

There are three stages in the process of examination:

  1. The questioned and the known items are analyzed and broken down to directly perceptible characteristics.
  2. The characteristics of the questioned item are then compared against the known standard.
  3. Evaluation of the similarities and differences of the compared properties determines which ones are valuable for a conclusion. This depends on the uniqueness and frequency of occurrence in the items.

Common tools of the trade

Professional Organizations

  • American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE) - USA
  • American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) - USA
  • Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners (ASFDE) - Australia/Asia
  • Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS) - Canada
  • Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SWAFDE) - Sourthwest USA
  • Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SAFDE) - Southeast USA
  • Forensic Science Society (FSS) - United Kingdom
  • International Association for Identification (IAI)
  • Gesellschaft für Forensische Schriftuntersuchung (GFS) - Frankfurt (Germany)

ABFDE ~ Certification

A document examiner may be certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc. (ABFDE), which was formed in 1977 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The ABFDE is the body that carries out certification of document examiners – there is no federal licensing involved. The court recognized the Board as reputable in the case of U.S. v. Buck, 1987, in denying a motion that claimed that handwriting comparisons were unreliable.

An applicant for certification must meet the following requirements:

  • they must be of good moral character, high integrity and good repute; and possess high ethical and professional standing
  • the program is limited to permanent residents of the USA, Canada and Mexico
  • must possess a bachelor degree (or higher) from an accredited academic institution, or equivalent
  • must successfully have completed a full-time training program of at least 2 years duration in a forensic laboratory recognized by the Board
  • must provide three references from forensic document examiners certified or recognized by the Board
  • must be actively engaged in the practise of forensic document examination must demonstrate a record of appropriate professional activity in forensic document examination

In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, an applicant must also pass comprehensive written, practical and oral examinations that explore the wide range of problems encountered in document examination.

ABFDE History John J. Harris sat as the inaugural chairman in 1977, and in the following year, the Committee of Certification was created. The board states its objectives as “to establish, maintain and enhance standards of qualification for those who practice forensic document examination, and to certify applicants who comply with ABFDE requirements for qualified specialists.”

Backed by the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE), Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS), and the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), the ABFDE ensures that the applicant satisfies a number of standardized requirements with regular testing to ensure that the examiner performs at the same high level of professionalism, as do the other people in the trade. More-so than merely denoting the attainment of certain academic and minimum standards, board certification indicates that the examiner cares enough about the profession to spend time and effort to adequately prepare himself or herself to properly serve the public. Courts must assess the credibility of the document examiner as an expert witness and to do this they will often rely upon the examiner’s reputation in the profession together with his or her affiliations with credible professional organizations.

References ~ Literature

The literature relating to forensic document examination is very extensive. Publications in English, French, German and other languages are readily available. The following is a very brief list of accepted, English-language textbooks:

  1. Osborn, A.S. (1929). Questioned Documents, 2nd ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Co.
  2. Harrison, W.R. (1958). Suspect Documents: Their Scientific Examination. New York: Praeger.
  3. Conway, J.V.P. (1959). Evidential Documents. Illinois: Charles C Thomas.
  4. Hilton, O. (1982). Scientific Examination of Questioned Documents. New York: Elsevier Science Publishing Co.
  5. Ellen, D. (2005). The Scientific Examination of Documents: Methods and Techniques, 3rd Edition. West Sussex: Ellis Horwood Limited.
  6. Huber R.A. & Headrick A.M. (1999). Handwriting Identification: Facts and Fundamentals. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
  7. Ellen, D. (2005). Scientific Examination of Documents: Methods and Techniques, Third Edition. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
  8. Morris, R. (2000). Forensic Handwriting Identification: Fundamental Concepts and Principles. Academic Press.

External links

Forensics | Fraud | Writing | Criminology topics

Grafologia (kryminalistyka)

 

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