ABSTRACT
The field of questioned documents is one of the older disciplines in the forensic sciences, dating back to ancient times. Perhaps the most famous case that utilized forensic document examination was the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial in 1937. The use of handwriting to uncover personality traits is called graphology and is it most certainly not based on science. Along with astrology, graphology is a pseudoscience that has no place in the justice system. It is a nonquantitative practice that lacks falsifiability. A document examiner compares questioned handwriting or signatures side by side with the known standards. Handwriting attributes are examined both visually and microscopically. Everyone who looks at writing and signatures notices the most conspicuous features first, such as the slant of the writing and how the letters are formed. An examiner will look beyond the obvious features and study the subtle, inconspicuous aspects of the questioned signature or writing.
