Documents as an object of forensic research are divided into several main types. At the same time, forensic examination of documents is the most frequent type of expertise that is carried out in the activities of law enforcement agencies.
The study of documents is a separate branch of forensic science, which studies the features, patterns of movement and occurrence of information on certain media to establish the information necessary for the investigation and disclosure of crimes. In this case, documents can be interpreted in a narrow or broad sense. In a narrow sense, a document can be called any written act that is proof of any circumstances, events. Within the framework of forensic science, a wide definition of documents is widespread, in which they are treated as any textual, graphic material that can be performed in any way and on any medium (handwritten, printed, engraved versions, and others).
Types of documents in the framework of forensic research
In criminal proceedings, documents can play the role of written or material evidence. If the document is written evidence, then only its semantic content matters. Forensic science is characterized by the study of documents that are recognized as material evidence, since in this case they are irreplaceable, they have certain individual signs that can be identified, studied, and interpreted. In addition, a distinction is made between official and unofficial documents, and the division into these types is carried out according to the source from which any document originates. Finally, they distinguish between genuine and fake documents, and the latter can be with material or intellectual forgery.
Features of forensic research of documents
The specificity of a forensic investigation of any document is determined by the tasks that an investigator or other official sets for an expert. So, if there is a need to identify the author of the document, a handwriting study is carried out, for which a copy of the original source is sometimes suitable. If law enforcement agencies are interested in the technical side (used paper, ink, glue and other points), then the expert will need the original document. In addition, the forensic examination of documents involves the observance of certain rules for their storage and handling. Often, the main task of the study is to identify signs of changes in the original content of the document.
