Forensic Examination of Signatures explains the neuroscience and kinematics of signature production, giving specific details of research carried out on the topic. It provides practical details for forensic examiners to consider when examining signatures, especially now that we are in an era of increasing digital signatures. Written by a foremost forensic document examiner, this reference provides FDEs, the legal community, the judiciary, and the academic community with a comprehensive record of the state-of-the-art of signature examination and plans for addressing future research into improving the reliability of FDEs.
- Devoted solely to signature examination
- Includes examination methods and the latest approaches to report conclusions and testimony
- Written by an internationally recognized forensic document examiner
| Contributors |
|
xi | |
| Biography |
|
xii | |
| Foreword |
|
xv | |
| Acknowledgment |
|
xix | |
|
|
|
1 | (4) |
|
|
|
Chapter 2 Motor control and kinematics |
|
|
5 | (6) |
|
|
|
Kinematics and dynamics of disguised signatures and handwriting |
|
|
11 | (3) |
|
|
|
14 | (2) |
|
|
|
16 | (1) |
|
Chapter 3 Signature styles |
|
|
17 | (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
21 | (1) |
|
Complex and noncomplex stylized signatures |
|
|
22 | (2) |
|
|
|
24 | (1) |
|
|
|
24 | (1) |
|
Highly skilled signatures |
|
|
25 | (1) |
|
Formal and informal signature styles |
|
|
25 | (1) |
|
|
|
26 | (1) |
|
Alternate signature styles |
|
|
26 | (1) |
|
Change of signature styles |
|
|
26 | (2) |
|
|
|
28 | (1) |
|
|
|
29 | (2) |
|
Chapter 4 Assessment of signature complexity |
|
|
31 | (5) |
|
|
|
|
|
36 | (1) |
|
|
|
37 | (1) |
|
|
|
37 | (2) |
|
|
|
39 | (2) |
|
|
|
41 | (2) |
|
Chapter 5 Examination of genuine, disguised, and simulated signatures |
|
|
43 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
44 | (1) |
|
Principle of natural variation |
|
|
45 | (1) |
|
|
|
45 | (1) |
|
|
|
46 | (4) |
|
|
|
50 | (10) |
|
Examination & comparison of signatures |
|
|
60 | (5) |
|
Discriminating between genuine and simulated signatures |
|
|
65 | (4) |
|
Which features of signatures are hardest to imitate? |
|
|
69 | (1) |
|
|
|
69 | (8) |
|
Signatures in a foreign script |
|
|
77 | (1) |
|
Other signature examinations |
|
|
77 | (1) |
|
|
|
78 | (4) |
|
|
|
82 | (3) |
|
Chapter 6 The examination of signatures on nonoriginal documents |
|
|
85 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
85 | (1) |
|
|
|
86 | (1) |
|
|
|
86 | (1) |
|
|
|
86 | (1) |
|
Carbon and carbon-less nonoriginals |
|
|
87 | (1) |
|
|
|
87 | (4) |
|
|
|
91 | (3) |
|
|
|
94 | (1) |
|
|
|
95 | (2) |
|
Chapter 7 Effects of writing instruments and constraints on signatures |
|
|
97 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
97 | (1) |
|
|
|
98 | (10) |
|
|
|
108 | (1) |
|
|
|
109 | (3) |
|
|
|
112 | (1) |
|
|
|
113 | (1) |
|
|
|
113 | (1) |
|
|
|
114 | (1) |
|
Writing substrates and writing surfaces |
|
|
114 | (1) |
|
|
|
114 | (1) |
|
|
|
115 | (1) |
|
|
|
116 | (1) |
|
|
|
116 | (3) |
|
Chapter 8 Effects of age, illness, and impairment |
|
|
119 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
119 | (1) |
|
|
|
120 | (1) |
|
|
|
120 | (2) |
|
|
|
122 | (1) |
|
|
|
122 | (1) |
|
|
|
123 | (1) |
|
|
|
123 | (1) |
|
|
|
124 | (1) |
|
|
|
125 | (1) |
|
|
|
125 | (1) |
|
|
|
126 | (1) |
|
|
|
126 | (1) |
|
Contemporaneous specimens |
|
|
126 | (1) |
|
|
|
126 | (2) |
|
|
|
128 | (1) |
|
Chapter 9 Validity and reliability |
|
|
129 | (2) |
|
|
|
Rule
702. Testimony by expert witnesses |
|
|
131 | (6) |
|
|
|
137 | (2) |
|
|
|
139 | (2) |
|
Chapter 10 Dealing with bias |
|
|
141 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
144 | (1) |
|
What can the FDE do to minimize bias? |
|
|
144 | (1) |
|
|
|
145 | (1) |
|
|
|
146 | (1) |
|
|
|
147 | (1) |
|
|
|
147 | (1) |
|
|
|
147 | (1) |
|
|
|
148 | (5) |
|
|
|
153 | (2) |
|
|
|
155 | (2) |
|
Chapter 11 Conclusions, reporting, and testimony |
|
|
157 | (13) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
170 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
171 | (6) |
|
|
|
177 | (1) |
|
|
|
177 | (3) |
|
Chapter 12 The examination of electronic signatures |
|
|
177 | (1) |
|
|
|
Kathleen Annunziata Nicolaides |
|
|
|
|
|
|
177 | (1) |
|
Types of electronic signatures |
|
|
178 | (15) |
|
The first study (1999--2000) |
|
|
179 | (1) |
|
|
|
180 | (3) |
|
|
|
183 | (2) |
|
|
|
185 | (3) |
|
|
|
188 | (5) |
|
Summary of the Flynn and Nicolaides studies |
|
|
193 | (3) |
|
Additional research in digital signature examination |
|
|
196 | (1) |
|
Proficiency of FDEs in examinations of digitally captured signatures |
|
|
196 | (1) |
|
|
|
197 | (1) |
|
|
|
198 | (1) |
|
Chapter 13 Famous signature cases |
|
|
199 | (1) |
|
|
|
The Howard Hughes "Mormon" will |
|
|
199 | (9) |
|
The William Marsh Rice case |
|
|
208 | (5) |
|
|
|
210 | (2) |
|
|
|
212 | (1) |
|
The Sylvia Ann Howland will |
|
|
213 | (6) |
|
|
|
219 | (1) |
|
|
|
219 | (1) |
|
|
|
220 | (1) |
| Index |
|
221 | |
Dr. Linton Mohammed has been in the field of Forensic Document Examination for more than 30 years. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled Elucidating spatial and dynamic features to discriminate between signature disguise and signature forgery behavior. He has testified as an expert witness more than 150 times in the US, England, and the Caribbean. He is the co-author of The Neuroscience of Handwriting: Applications for Forensic Document Examination, and has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Mohammed has conducted or co-presented workshops on signature and document examination in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Latvia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Turkey, and the United States. He has given numerous presentations at scientific conferences
His work has been recognized by his peers. In 2019, he received the Ordway Hilton Award from the Questioned Documents Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences In recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Forensic Document Examination, and in 2012, he was given the New Horizon Award In Recognition of Exceptional Contributions in Scientific Research for the Advancement of Forensic Document Examination by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc.
Dr. Mohammed is certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc and holds a Diploma in Document Examination from the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
He is a member and Past-President of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, Inc, a Fellow of the Questioned Documents Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and served as the Chair of the Section from 2016-2018. He is also a member of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science and the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. He serves on the Editorial Review Boards of the Journal of Forensic Sciences and Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, and is a guest reviewer for several other journals.
Dr. Mohammed is in private practice in Burlingame, CA (San Francisco Bay Area). Cases are submitted to him from across the United States and internationally. More information can be found at www.qdexams.com.
