The two kinds of standard documents, often referred to as standards in forensic and investigative contexts, are collected standards and requested standards. These classifications are crucial for document examiners and investigators when comparing known documents to questioned documents.
Understanding Standard Documents
Standard documents serve as a baseline for comparison in various investigations, particularly in forensic document examination. They provide known examples of an individual's handwriting, typewriting, or other document characteristics, allowing experts to determine authenticity, authorship, or alterations.
1. Collected Standards
Collected standards, also known as non-request standards, are documents that were created in the normal course of business or personal activity, prior to any suspicion or investigation. These documents are already in existence and are simply gathered by an attorney or investigator for analysis.
Characteristics of Collected Standards:
- Pre-existing: They were not created for the purpose of the investigation.
- Natural Variation: They often exhibit a natural range of variation in handwriting or other characteristics because the writer was not consciously attempting to alter their style.
- Authenticity: Generally considered highly reliable because the writer had no motive to disguise their writing.
Examples of Collected Standards:
- Bank records: Checks, deposit slips, loan applications.
- Letters: Personal correspondence, business letters.
- Legal forms: Affidavits, wills, contracts, deeds.
- Employment records: Job applications, personnel forms, performance reviews.
- Diaries or notebooks: Personal journals, lecture notes.
These documents are invaluable as they reflect the subject's writing habits under ordinary circumstances, providing a true representation of their style. For more insights into forensic document examination, resources like the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners offer comprehensive information.
2. Requested Standards
Requested standards, also known as request exemplars, are documents specifically created by an individual at the request of an investigator or court, often under controlled conditions. These are produced after an investigation has begun and are designed to provide fresh, current examples for comparison.
Characteristics of Requested Standards:
- Purpose-driven: Created explicitly for comparison during an investigation.
- Controlled Conditions: Often produced under controlled settings to minimize variables, such as specific paper, pens, dictation, and observation.
- Potential for Disguise: The subject might consciously attempt to alter or disguise their writing, which requires skilled analysis by a document examiner.
Examples of Requested Standards:
- Handwriting samples: A suspect writing specific words or phrases dictated by an investigator.
- Signatures: Multiple repetitions of a signature provided on request.
- Number sequences: Writing a series of numbers or symbols for comparison.
- Dictated text: Writing passages of text, sometimes including known errors from a questioned document to observe reactions.
While potentially subject to attempts at disguise, requested standards offer the advantage of obtaining large, recent samples directly relevant to the specific questioned document. Experts like those at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) utilize both types of standards in their analysis.
Comparing Collected vs. Requested Standards
The table below summarizes the key differences between these two vital categories of standard documents:
| Feature | Collected Standards | Requested Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Pre-existing; created in normal course of life/business. | Created specifically for the investigation. |
| Timing | Before any suspicion or investigation. | During or after the start of an investigation. |
| Purpose | Not created for comparison; found and gathered. | Created for direct comparison to questioned documents. |
| Reliability | Generally high, as writing is natural and undisguised. | Can be influenced by attempts at disguise, requires careful analysis. |
| Control | Little to no control over creation conditions. | Created under controlled conditions (e.g., dictation, specific materials). |
| Examples | Bank checks, letters, legal forms. | Dictated handwriting samples, requested signatures. |
Both collected and requested standards play a crucial role in forensic analysis, providing essential known material for experts to render informed opinions regarding questioned documents. A combination of both types often yields the most comprehensive and reliable results.
