The significance of non-invasive methods of document examination in evidentiary proceedings

Due to a document’s important role in social interaction it is frequently forged or counterfeited, which has its impact on penal, civil and administrative legal proceedings. In the interest of evidential proceedings it is paramount that a document suffers minimum damage during an examination. Moreover, due to the need to implement various examination methods and the limitations of their effectiveness, the results of document examination sometimes fall short of expectations, which is reflected in the ambiguity of final conclusions. This article discusses effective use of non-invasive methods in forensic examination of documents. The presented case involved several non-invasive methods, including colorimetry. Confronting a few methods implemented in a particular case of document examination increases the accuracy and objectivity of its results and improves chances for formulating correct final conclusions