Accuracy and reliability of forensic handwriting comparisons

Significance Forensic handwriting examinations are a critical part of the criminal justice system, seeking to determine whether handwritten documents can be attributed to specific writers by comparison to known exemplars. This paper summarizes a 5-y research study designed to assess the accuracy and reliability of forensic handwriting comparison decisions, which is important in assessing scientific validity for admissibility in court. Here we report the results of the largest-scale study yet conducted to measure the accuracy, reproducibility, and repeatability of conclusions made by practicing forensic document examiners when comparing samples selected to span a range of quality, quantity, and attributes found in casework.

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