Forensics Handwriting

Cornelius Chavis

What is forensics handwriting?



Graphology is the study and analysis of handwriting especially in relation to human psychology. In the medical field, it can be used to refer to the study of handwriting as an aid in diagnosis and tracking of diseases of the brain and nervous system. The term is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to forensic document examination.
Graphology has been a controversial field for more than a century. Although supporters point to the anecdotal evidence of thousands of positive testimonials as a reason to use it for personality evaluation, most empirical studies fail to show the validity claimed by its supporters.




Handwriting can be used in many situations such as:

• Forged, altered or counterfeit documents


• Checks, Wills, Deeds, Legal Contracts


• Insurance Records


• Court Documents


• Medical Records


• Computer-printed or Typewritten Document


• Photocopied or Facsimile Documents


• Latent Impressions


• Case preparation consultation


• On-site examination


• Laboratory examination and analysis


• Document photography


• Preparation of court exhibits


• Preparation of written reports


• Deposition or courtroom testimony

Issues with handwriting?

The premises underlying handwriting examination and identification are that (1) No two writers share the same combination of handwriting characteristics and (2) Each writer has a range of variation centered within his/her basic writing habits. A proper examination requires sufficient samples of comparable "questioned" and "known" handwriting that are naturally executed. If adequate samples are available, an examiner conducts a side-by-side comparison, including a visual and a microscopic study.

Techniques and uses for handwriting:

In the context of modern forensic science, experts sharply distinguish graphology from true handwriting analysis. Graphology, scientists attest, is a pseudoscience, a fun but not scientifically valid parlor game, like palm reading, although many corporations take it seriously enough to hire graphology experts to profile job candidates. Over the following three centuries, Italian, French, and German investigators attempted to place the fledgling science of graphology on a firmer scientific footing. In particular, they linked graphology with Gestalt psychology, maintaining that handwriting originates in the brain and therefore betrays characteristics of the writer's mental makeup, even when done with a writing implement held in the other hand, the mouth, or the toes.