Forensic Graphology Uses In Solving Crime
Forensic Graphology is the branch of questioned documents.
Graphology is defined as the scientific study of human personality with the help of graphic movements such as handwriting, scribblings, drawing, or painting.
These graphics are mostly found in documents like suicide letters, blackmail letters, suspicious letters, and many more.
The graphics or style of writing shows the mental status of the suspect or victim. The experts who analyze the handwriting and prove the mental status of the suspect is known as “Graphologists”.
Forensic Graphologist cannot tell about a person’s age or sex but it indicates the person’s state of mind while committing a crime or creating particular documents whether it be a blackmail letter, poison pen letter, or suicide notes.
However, Forensic Graphologist looks for insights into the writing patterns of the suspect.
Those follow as:
- The mood of the suspect while writing
- Motivation or intention behind the writing
- The suspect integrity
- Their intelligence before writing the letter
- What is the emotional stability of the person while writing
Graphologists examine the individual handwriting to identify the signs of some or all of the above.
Even other factors play an essential role as it depends on the individuality of the crime and investigation.
Forensic Graphologist calls upon to investigate the handwriting and offer any advice as to how the individual was feeling at the time of writing.
There are many cases where Graphologist opinion helps in solving the crime by providing the psychology behind the writing and crime.
Classification of Graphology
The main classification of Graphology is classified into two types.
- Integrative Graphology: It is focused on various strokes and their relation to the personality of an individual.
- Holistic Graphology: It focuses on the movement of hands while writing and the spacing between words and sentences.
Here Forensic Graphologist uses handwriting patterns or technology to analyze the personality trait of an individual by analyzing the integrative and holistic writing pattern of an individual.
Examination by Graphologist
Graphologists will use the Electrostatic Development of Indented Writing Impression test to bring the pieces of evidence on paper that is not visible to the naked eye.
Through the ESDA test, we analyze whether the document is altered or not and whether the document is rewritten from the top of another document.
It is also analyzed whether any fingerprint is present on the document which might not be visible to the normal eye.
Forensic Graphologist plays an essential role in providing the usable profile with the conjunction of forensic psychologist that police use to draw the list of suspects.
Individual writing will prove as valuable information and can throw light on the evidence as of their state of mind, level of education, intellectual mind, and egotistical tendencies of the person.
However, no two individual writings must be the same, and also as a graphologist you cannot tell about the sex and race of the individual. But as a Graphologist, you can provide clues about their mental and emotional state.