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NOTES ON CRIMINALISTICS

QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS
Docum
ent EXAMINATION

Any material that contains a mark symbol or sign, either visible,

partially visible or invisible that may presently or ultimately convey a
meaning or a message to someone.
It is any written statement by which a right is established or an
obligation extinguished. (People vs. Moreno, C.A., 38 O.G. 119)
Two Categories of Document
1. Questioned Document – Document to which an issue has been raised or
which is under scrutiny. The focal point of the examination and to which
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the document examiner relies as to the extent of the problem. (also
referred to as disputed document).
2. Standard Document – Document in which the origin is known can be
proven and can legally be used as sample to compare with other
things is questioned.
Types of Standards
a. Collected/Procured Std. – Standard specimen executed in the regular
course of man’s activity or that which are executed on the day to day
writing activity.
b. Requested/Dictated (Post litel motam std.) – a Standard document
which are executed upon request, they are prepare at one time.

Contemporary document = documents which are not more than

five (5) years before or after.
Legal Classification of Documents:
1. Public Document = a document created, executed or issued by a
public official in response to the exigencies of the public service, or
in the execution of which a public official intervened.
= is any instrument authorized by a notary public or
a competent public official, with the solemnities
required by law ( Cacnio , et.al. vs. Baens, 5 Phil.
724).
2. Official Document = a document which is issued by a public official
in the exercise of the functions of his office. Am official document
is also a public document as a larger classification.
 3. Private Document = A deed or instrument executed by a private
person without the intervention of a notary public or other person
legally authorized, by which documents, some disposition or
agreement is proved, evidenced or set forth. (US Vs. Orera, 11 Phil
596)
e.g. Theater Ticket.
4. Commercial Document = any document defined and regulated by
the Code of Commerce ( People Vs. Co Beng, C.A. 40 OG 1913) or
any other commercial law.
Classes of Questioned Documents:
1. Document with questioned Signature (most common).
2. Document containing fraudulent alteration(Any form of changes either
an addition or deletion to the contents of a document).
3. Holograph Document – a document that is completely written and signed by
one person
4. Document questioned as to the material used in their production.
5. Documents questioned as to their age or date.
6. Documents involving typewriting
7. Document which may identify a person through handwriting
8. Genuine documents erroneously or fraudulently attacked or disputed.
9. Documents containing printing or type prints.

Writings and Signature:

System of Writing – is the combination of the basic shape and
designs of letter and the writing movement which was taught in
school.
Copy book form – is an illustration of the basic designs of letters that
is fundamental to the writing system.
Writing movement – refers to factors relative to the motion of the pen
such as, pressure, rhythm, pen lifting, etc.
Writing – is the visible result of a very complicated series of acts,
being as a whole or a combination of certain forms which are the
very visible result of mental and muscular habits acquired by
long continued painstaking effort.
Handwriting – is a visible effect of bodily movement which is an
almost unconscious expressions of fixed muscular habits,

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reacting from fixed mental impression of certain ideas
associated with script form.
Writing Habits – refers to any repeated elements of once handwriting
which serves as an identifying characteristics.
Significant Writing Habits – elements of one’s writing that are
sufficiently unique and well fixed to serve as a strong basis of
individuality.
Slant = refers to the relative degree of writing inclination
relative to the baseline. Baseline = an imaginary or
straight line in which the writing rest.
Types of Handwritings
1. Cursive – Writing in which the letters are for the most part joined together.
2. Handlettering – refers to writing characterized by a disconnected style.
3. Natural Writing – a specimen of writing that is executed normally and
without any attempt of altering its usual writing habits.
4. Disguised – a specimen of writing executed deliberately with an
attempt of changing its usual writing habits in the hope of hiding
one’s identity.
5. Guided/assisted – a specimen of writing executed while the writer’s
hand is at steadied. Usually employed by beginners in writing.

Signature – a name of person signed by himself on a document as

a sign of acknowledgement. Model signature – genuine
signature which has been used in preparing a simulated or
traced forgery. Evidential Signature – specimen signature which
was executed in particular date, particular time and place,
under a particular writer’s condition and for a particular
purpose.
Classes of Signature
1. Formal or complete – used in signing very important document
2. Informal or cursory – used for routine document
3. Careless scribble – used for not so important document such as
delivery of mail or receipt of purchase equipment etc.

Forgery – is an act of falsifying or counterfeiting any treasure or

bank notes, paper bills or any documents which are payable to
the bearer.
- is an act of simulating or tracing somebody’s signature
without the latter’s consent for profit.
Major types of Forgery
1. Simple forgery – a forges signature where no attempt has been made to
make a copy or facsimile
of the genuine writing of a person purported to sign the
document. Also known as spurious signature
2. Simulated or Copied forgery – a forged signature which resembles the
genuine signature written in free-hand. Considered as the most skillful
type of forgery.
3. Traced Forgery – forged signature which closely resembles the genuine
made by some tracing process or outline form.
Methods of tracing
a. Carbon outline process – used of carbon paper.
b. Indention process- used of considerable pressure, Canal-like process.
c. Projection or transmitted light process- used of light from the back or
bottom.
d. Laser method – used of
hologram. CHARACTERISTICS IN
WRITING:
Characteristics – refers to any property, marks or elements which
distinguishes. Also referred to as identifying details.
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Types of characteristics:
1. Class Characteristics – characteristics or properties which are common or
which can be found in the specimen writing of other person. Gross
characteristics.
2. Individual Characteristics – characteristics which are highly personal or
peculiar. That which is unlikely to occur in other’s handwriting.
Elements of Forms in Writing:
1. Arc – the rounded inner part of an upper curve, bend or crook,
2. Beard – is an introductory up and down strokes found in some capital
letters. Also called as double hitch.
3. Blunt – is a part of a stroke characterized by a abrupt beginning or end
at which the pen does not creates a diminishing strokes.
4. Buckle Knot is a horizontal or loop strokes used to complete letters A, H, F
and D.
5. Central Part – is the body of the letter. Characterized by a small rounded or
circular strokes.
6. Ductus-link, Ductus-broken- refers to the connection between letters, either
joined or disconnected.
7. Eyelet/ eyeloop – refers to small oblong strokes.
8. Hitch – an introductory backward strokes found in most capital letters and in
some small letters.
9. Hiatus = an obvious gap between letters.
10. Humps – is the outer portion of an upper curve bend or crook, (see arc)
11. Knob – is a tiny pool of an ink at the beginning or ending strokes.
12. Loop – is an oblong strokes
13. Stem/shank/staff – is considered as the backbone of the letter
characterized by a long downward strokes
14. Initial/terminal Spur – a long running initial or terminal strokes.
15. Through – refers to any garland form of a letter strokes
16. Whirl – is the long upward strokes usually found opposite the stem
Embellishments – added strokes that serves as an ornamental or
flourish to the design of the letters. They considered
unnecessary to the legibility of the writing.
Diacritics = strokes added to complete certain letters. They are
necessary to the legibility of the letters.
Writing Movement – refers to all factors relative to the motion of the
pen.

Line Quality – is the visible records in the written strokes of the

basic movements and manner of holding instrument. It is
derived from a combination of factors, including writing skill,
speed, rhythm, freedom of movement, shading and pen
emphasis.

Types of movement:
 1. Finger (used by beginners)
2. Hand (wrist serves as the point of pivotal & of limited freedom)
3. Forearm (most skillful type of movement)
4. Whole arm (used for ornamental or large writings)
Elements of Writing Movement
1. Pen pressure – is the average or usual pressure applied in the writing.
2. Pen Emphasis – is the act of intermittently forcing the pen against
the paper surface with an increase in speed.
3. Rhythm – is the harmonious or balance recurrence of strokes or
impulses.
4. Skills – refers to the degree of writer’s proficiency in writing
5. Speed – cannot be measured precisely from the finished
handwriting but it can be interpreted in broad term as to
either fast, slow or moderate.
6. Pen-lift – an interruption is strokes caused by sudden removal of
the writing instrument from the paper surface.
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7. Shading – refers to the more obvious increase in the width of the letter
strokes.
8. Pen Position – is the relative location of the pen in relation to the paper
surface.
9. Pen scope – represents the reach of the hand with the wrist at rest.
10. Retracing or retraced – is the strokes which goes back over
another writing strokes that is slightly to occur in other’s writing.
11. Retouching or patching – is a stroke, which goes back over a
defective portion of a writing to repair or correct an error.
Factors that affects writing characteristics:
1. Natural Variations – is the usual or normal deviation found in a
repeated specimen of an individual’s handwriting or in the product
of any typewriter.
2. Transitory Change – are meant to those changes which only continue to
exist while the basic cause of the deterioration is still affecting the writer,
once the such cause has been removed from the writer, the writing will
reverts in its normal form.
3. Tremor – is the weakening of the strokes characterized by a wavering or
shaky strokes.
a. Genuine Tremor
a.1.Weakness of sickness
a.2 Old age
a.3. Illiteracy (lack of skills)
b. Tremor of Fraud
4. Writing Conditions – refers to all factors affecting the over-all quality
of writing such as the writer’s condition under which the writing was
prepared.
5. Writing instrument
a. Ball point pen (John Loud) consisting of a ball bearing at the point of
the pen.
b. Fountain pen (Lewis Watterman) consisting of pen nib point.
 c. Fiber pen (originally designed by Hongkong)

Miscellaneous Document Problem

1. Detection of Alteration
Alteration - refers to any form of changes either an addition or
a deletion to the original content of the document which is not a
part of its original preparation.
2. Decipherment of Erased Writings
Erasure – refers to removal of a writings or any part of a
document either by mechanical or chemical process.
Mechanical Erasure – done by means of abrasive method
through rubbing or scrapping. Chemical Erasure – done with
the aid or use of bleaching agent called ink eradicator.
 Usually examined with the aid or fuming, transmitted
light, oblique light and ultra-violet light examination.
3. Decipherment of Obliterated writing
Obliteration – is the process of smearing over an original
writing to make it undecipherable or illegible. Done with the
used of superimposing inks. Usually examined with the used of
Infra- red light.
4. Examination of Charred Document and water soaked document
Charred Document – refers to partly burned or brittle
document. Decipherment is usually accomplished with the
used of infra-red light examination.
5. Development of Invisible writing
Invisible writing – writing that has no readily visible ink
strokes. Made by Sympathetic inks such as acids, juice and
others. They are possible of development depending on the ink
used. Methods of development can be by heat. Water,
chemical fuming or by ultra-violet light process.
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6. Decipherment of Contract writing
Contact writing – refers to partially visible ink strokes cause by
sudden contact between a sheet of paper with another paper
containing fresh ink. Can be enhanced through fuming or ultra-
violet light process.
EXAMINATION OF TYPEWRITING
Definition of Terms:
1. Typeface – is the printing surface of the type block in a
conventional typewriter. In electric typewriter it is the printing
surface of the rotating head sphere.
2. Typeface defect – any form of peculiarity of the type printing
caused by actual damage to the typeface metal or which maybe
an abnormality in its printing condition.
3. Characters – in connection to typewriting, it is used to include letters,
symbols, numerals

or points of punctuation.
4. Pica typeface – type face impression ordinarily spaced ten (10)
characters to the

horizontal inch.
5. Elite typeface – type face impression ordinarily spaced twelve (12)
characters to the horizontal inch.
6. Proportional spacing machine – a typewriter with a type letter spacing
similar to the type spacing of conventional printed in which all letters are
allotted horizontal in conformity with their relative widths.
7. Transitory Defects – is an identifying typewriter characteristics
 which can be eliminated by simply cleaning the machine or
replacing the ribbon.
8. Permanent Defects – any identifying typewriting characteristics of the
type face which

cannot be corrected by simply cleaning the machine or replacing the

ribbon.
9. Mal alignment or alignment defects – refers to defect in the printing
condition of the type character in which the letters are printed
either at the top or bottom, left or right of inclined from its proper
position.
Principal technique utilized in typewriting identification
1. Measure the type face pitch
2. Verify the type size and design (W-G-T)
3. Look for individual type face defects

Typeface Defects
1. Vertical mal alignment – a character printing above or below of its proper
position.
2. Horizontal mal alignment – an alignment defect in which the characters
are printed to the left or right of its proper position.
3. Twisted letters – letters and characters are designed to be printed at a
certain angle to the baseline. Once letters leans to the left or right of its
proper position such is called twisted letters.
4. Off-its-feet – is a condition of the type face printing at which then
character outline is not equally printed, that is the printing is heavier in
one side than the remainder of the outline of the character.
5. Rebound – typeface defect in which a character prints a double
impression with the lighter one slightly off-set to the right or left.
6. Actual breakage – any peculiarity of typewriting caused by actual damage

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to the type face metal.
Clogged type face (dirty) – is a typeface defects characterized by dirty
prints due to constant used without cleaning of the type bar or due to use
of new carbon. These are common in closed letter outline such as o, a, p,
g etc.