LAYMAN'S GUIDE TO HANDWRITING OPINION TERMINOLOGY

• NCJ Number: 53237
• Journal: Police Chief Volume: 45 Issue: 5 Dated: (MAY 1978) Pages: 68-72
• Author(s): T V MCALEXANDER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Dictionary
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE HANDWRITING OPINION TERMINOLOGY USED BY THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE LABORATORY IS EXPLAINED IN LAY TERMS, AND REASONS WHY A HANDWRITING SAMPLE OFTEN CANNOT BE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED ARE GIVEN.

Abstract

THE TERMS DEFINED ARE: POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION; HIGHLY PROBABLE, WHERE SOME CRITICAL FEATURE OR QUALITY IS MISSING; PROBABLE, WHERE BOTH SIGNIFICANT SIMILARITIES AND IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES ARE PRESENT; INDICATION, WHICH MERELY SERVES TO KEEP THE PIECE OF EVIDENCE UNDER CONSIDERATION; NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE, WHERE IT IS NOT LIKELY THE SUSPECT WROTE IT; AND POSITIVE ELIMINATION. VARIOUS PHRASES COMMONLY USED BY HANDWRITING EXAMINERS TO CONVEY EACH OF THESE IDEAS ARE DISCUSSED. REASONS FOR AN INCONCLUSIVE OPINION ARE EXPLAINED. THE HANDWRITING MAY LACK INDIVIDUALITY, TRANSITORY FACTORS MAY EFFECT IT, ACCIDENTAL FEATURES MAY APPEAR, IT MAY BE DISGUISED, GRADUAL CHANGES OCCUR IN WRITING HABITS OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS AND THE SAMPLES MAY NOT BE CONTEMPORANEOUS, IT MAY BE A TRACING OR COPY, AND THE SAMPLE MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME LETTER FORMS AND, THEREFORE, MAY NOT BE COMPARABLE. EACH FACTOR IS DISCUSSED. A GLOSSARY OF HANDWRITING EXAMINATION TERMS IS INCLUDED. (GLR)