Development and current state of legal graphology

Formation and development of the views of forensic scientists in the field of judicial handwriting should be investigated in order to establish a correct understanding of its current state, to understand its characteristics and perspectives of its development. Legal graphology is a branch of forensic technology which is a system of knowledge about the laws of handwriting and methods of its study in order to establish evidence having probative value in making decisions in criminal, civil and arbitration processes. It forms a certain doctrine, a coherent theory and becomes a scientific basis for production of forensic handwriting examination. According to historical records, studies of handwriting for forensic purposes were reflected in the legislation of Ancient Rome in the time of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (5th - 6th centuries). In Russia in the 15th century, comparison of the manuscripts was used as a way to authenticate documents. The first work devoted to the study of legal documents appeared in France in the early 17th century. (F. Demel, 1604). The formation of legal graphology outside Russia is connected with the names and works of such forensic scientists as A. Bertillon, E. Lokar, S. Ottolenghi, A. Osborne et al. In the development of judicial handwriting the following main areas are distinguished: calligraphy, handwriting features description, measurement of handwriting features, its graphological description. Russian legal graphology is associated with the doctrine of the Russian forensic handwriting expert E.F. Burinskiy, who paid special attention to the methods of scientific research of handwriting, including properly designed experiments, observation and introspection, collecting handwriting samples. Currently, legal graphology is closely related to medicine which seeks to develop alternative methods of diagnosis of mental and physical diseases in humans by studying handwriting features. In some countries in the Americas and Europe, graphological analysis is used to determine professional characteristics of a particular person, his/her suitability for a particular work position. In conclusion, the author notes that the current Russian legal graphology is a highly developed, substantive area of forensics and criminology with established scientific principles, a conceptual framework, well-developed methodological foundations of forensic handwriting identification and diagnosis, established research methods and techniques for analysis of various handwriting features. Such foundations manifest an integral nature and meet modern scientific standards.

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