UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN

VALLEY
New Site Campus Tuguegarao City,Cagayan
SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY

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Name of student: ________________________________ Year/Section: ______________
Subject: Questioned Document Examination Teacher: _________________
Instructor: ___________________________________

Module No. 2 MIDTERM COVERAGE

Title: Standards or Exemplars

Overview:
This module presents the types of handwriting standards, procedure for taking requested
handwriting standards and disguises in handwriting. Furthermore, this module also discusses the
admissibility of standard writings.

Introduction:
Prior to the conduct of document examination, preparation of the documents to be
examined must be readied by the document examiner giving priority to the proper and complete
set and sufficient number of standards of comparison and the questioned. In addition, another
principle involved in handwriting and signature identification is the selection of best standards of
comparison. Standards of comparison must be procured or obtained properly, one which
illustrates completely the author’s personal habits and should be able to demonstrate the author’s
habit in the light of the handwriting which is questioned. The main objective of selecting best
standards of comparison is to gain basis for reliable and sound conclusion.

Learning Outcomes:
a. Discuss the importance of standards in the identification of questioned document.
Learning Objectives:

a. The students will be able to implement procedure for taking requested handwriting
standard.

Discussion: (Pls refer to your hand-outs

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STANDARD DOCUMENTS – Are condensed and compact set of authentic specimen which if
adequate and proper should contain a true cross-section of the material from a known source.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. STANDARD- known writings which indicate how a person writes.

2. EXEMPLARS- specimen of the writing of suspects.
The term standards is a general term referring to all authenticated writings of the suspects
while exemplars refers more especially to a specimens of standard writing offered in evidence or
obtained or request for comparison with the questioned writing.
3. SAMPLE- a selected representative portion of the whole.

Kinds of Standard Documents

A. Collected or Procured

 Those which are obtained from files of document executed in the persons day to
day business, official, social or personal activities.
 Collected standards are known (genuine) handwritings of an individual, such as
signature and endorsements on cancelled checks, legal papers letters, commercial,
official, public and private documents, and other handwriting such as letters,
memoranda, etc. written in the course of daily life, both business and socials.
B. Requested or Prepared

 Those which are given or made upon the request of an investigator for purpose of
making comparative examination with the request writing.
 Request standards are signature or other handwritings (or hand printings) written
by an individual upon request for the purpose of comparison with other
handwriting, or for specimen purposes. In most instances, collected standards are
preferable to request standards, though both types should be submitted if
available. Standards should be collected from a period dated within a year of the
date questioned document, with some written within weeks or days of the
questioned writing.

C. Post Litem Motam Exemplars

 writings produced by the subject after evidential writings have come into dispute
and solely for the purpose of establishing his contentions.

Types of standards desirable for comparison in the two most common types of questioned
document problems

1. Submit collected and request standards signature from both individual case.
2. When anonymous letter writings other than signature are in questioned.
a. Submit request standards writings of general nature from both victim and suspects
(as much standards writing as possible to obtain within reason).
b. Submit request standards of the questioned text written or printed-at least 3
writings by the suspect/s and in some instanced by the victim.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE SELECTION OF STANDARDS

A. The amount of standard written

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 1. at least ten to twenty five signatures.(PNP-CLO recommends at least eight (8) standard
signatures)
2. writing-usually four or fives pages of natural writing.(PNP-CLO recommends at least
five (5) pages of handwriting standards and observance of similar language or dialect).

B. Similarity of subject matter.

 if the questioned writings are hand printed, then get hand printed standard or
exemplar.
 Extended writing- determine whether the questioned writing is purely cursive, or
script or block or combination of the three or two styles of writing.

C. RELATIVE DATES of the questioned and the standards writing or standard

signatures must be those written five (5) years before or five (5) years after the date of the
questioned signature or writing.

 This means that the investigator should collect standards that were written nearest
to the possible date of the writing in questioned.

IMPORTANCE OF CONTEMPORANEOUS STANDARDS

1. helps to determine or trace gradual changes on one's hand writing or signature.

2. aids in tracing the development of any writing variation.
D. Condition under which both the questioned and the standard are prepared.

-look for standards prepared under comparable circumstances such as: paper rested on the
knee; standing; sitting; lying down; and or while on moving vehicle.

E. Writing Instrument and paper

-same instrument used in the preparation of the questioned document must be obtained in
the standards.
Ex. if ballpoint was used, then procured collected and dictated standards written by the
use of ballpoint pen.
- if bond paper was used, then procure also collected and requested standards written on
bond paper.

BASIC CARDINAL RULES IN TAKING

REQUESTED OR DICTATED STANDARD

1. DO NOT coach the writer on how to make the letter forms

2. DO NOT show the writer the Questioned Writing
3. DO NOT let the subject copy the writings from the Questioned Writing.
4. DO NOT coach the writer with spelling, grammar or arrangement of words.
5. DO NOT tell how date is written whether in words, figures or the combination.

What is a Disguised Writing?

 Disguised writing is the deliberate attempt on the part of the writer to alter his writing
habit by endeavoring to invent a new writing style or by imitating the writing of another
person.
 Physical Methods of Disguising Handwriting:
 By changing the direction of the slant. The forger may employ a backhand slant,
instead of the usual forehead slant.
 By increasing or decreasing the speed in writing.
 By deliberate carelessness that will produce inferior style of writing.

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  By making the letters unusually large or small.
 The forger may use the left hand instead of the right hand.
 Hand printing may be substituted for script.

KINDS OF DISGUISES

1. Change of slant- from right to left or vice versa

2. Change of letter either from cursive to block style or vice versa
3. Change from cursive to block form or vice versa
4. Change of style from small to big or vice versa
5. Deteriorating one's handwriting
6. Using the wrong hand (AMBIDEXTROUS)

Effects of alcohol in handwriting

A. Physical and mental effects- intoxication affects the physiological being of an

individual hence, the manner of handwriting is also affected.
B. Evidence of alcoholic intoxication in handwriting- Bizarre letter forms, greatly
enlarged writing, illegible forms and writing generally, uneven baseline, meaningless
blobs or extraneous strokes in the writing, inconsistency in slant of writing, inconsistency
in the form of repeated letters.

ADMISSIBILITY OF STANDARD WRITINGS

The following are standard writings which are admissible for comparison purposes:

1. Standard writing witnessed

2. Standards writings admitted
3. Record maintained in regular course of business as standard writings
4. Government document as standard writings
5. Ancient writings
6. Other writings standards- among writings admissible as standard are signature on spelling
motion or other instruments, such as an appearance bond, which may without further
proof of genuineness be used as a standard.
7. Familiarity sometimes establishes standard writings.

Opinion evidence- the court seem to be in general agreement that proof of the
genuineness of a standard cannot be established by the opinion of experts testifying from
a comparison of the writing sought to be used as standard with another writing.

Genuineness of standard decided by court- the sufficiency of the proof of the

genuineness of a standard of writing is a matter to be decided by the court.

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