top of page
UML Logo.PNG
Marble Surface

Block Research Lab

Welcome to the Block Research Lab website. Here you will find information about Dr. Stephanie Block and her research as well as information on current and former students in the lab, relevant publications and events, and how to contact us. 

thumbnail_imagejpeg_0(3).jpg

Research

Research in the lab is broadly focused on children in the legal system, the effect of trauma on children's wellbeing and memory of emotional events, and the prevention of child maltreatment. Specific focus areas include: 

 

1) Child Maltreatment - to advance our understanding of children in at-risk environments who show resilience (e.g., healthy, adaptive, or positive functioning despite maltreatment histories) and promote research-based interventions that help prevent child maltreatment.​

​

2) Psychology and Law - to determine the best contexts for children to participate in the legal system and to understand how well adults can evaluate child witnesses.

 

3) Memory for Trauma - to better understand children's memory for traumatic and emotional events.

block lab photo.jpg

Latest Publications

Finding justice? Recommendations beyond prosecution in 500 cases of child sexual abuse. 

Most child sexual abuse (CSA) cases reported to prosecutors and children’s advocacy centers do not proceed to criminal prosecution (more than 80% not prosecuted in Block et al., 2023). While the motivations for an official report of CSA are likely numerous and complex, it is clear that society strives for justice, safety, and support for the victim and the community. Little is known about recommendations other than the binary decision of prosecution or nonprosecution for a large and diverse sample of CSA reports. This study explored recommendations other than or in addition to prosecution in a sample of 500 CSA reports to prosecutors. Recommendations for the victim, perpetrator, caregiver, other legal action, and state action were recorded. Approximately 25% of cases had at least one recommendation and over 49% of these cases had two or more recommendations, with one case having eight total recommendations. Over 26% of cases recommended therapy for the victim and had an ongoing or new involvement with child protective services. Regression analyses revealed that specific case factors predicted different types of recommendations. For example, the odds of recommending an action related to a victim were two times more likely when there was a victim disclosure barrier and when the abuse included penetration. This research has the potential to inform policy aimed at achieving meaningful and just outcomes in extremely complicated and challenging CSA cases. 

bottom of page