Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Services Does Grey Shield Research Offer?
We are a data and analytics company specializing in corrections. We offer data cleaning and solutions, statistical analyses, program evaluations, and a wide range of reporting and analysis services. Whether you need a simple project like descriptive statistics for your jail, a complex experiment or quasi-experiment, or a full program evaluation, we want to help you!
We Have a New Pilot Program for Inmates, Officers, Judges, etc. Can You Help Us Analyze It?
Absolutely! We are data nerds who get excited about working on new and novel programs. Whether you are in the early design stages and want help structuring the program for easy evaluation, or your program has concluded and you need your data cleaned and analyzed, we are here for you!
We Are Replicating or Repeating a Program and Want To Determine Its Impact or Scalability. Can You Help?
Definitely! Understanding why a program works and whether it can be scaled or replicated is one of the cornerstones of criminal justice research. Whether it’s a step-down program for high-risk gang members or helping judges assess low-risk candidates for pre-trial release, we can help!
Can You Testify in Court or at a City/County Meeting?
In person or virtually! We are happy to come to you (though in-person visits may involve additional costs) or provide testimony virtually. Whether we’re speaking to a small group of correctional officers or a large state or federal legislative body, we are ready to discuss our research, findings, implications, and methods.
We Are a Rural Law Enforcement Agency. Can You Help?
Absolutely! We love working with small agencies. In fact, we are proudly located in a small town — Belen, NM (population 7,474), in Valencia County (population 79,149). We take great pride in our small-town roots and love helping other small towns and counties!
We understand the unique data challenges smaller agencies face — whether it’s state data requirements or small program sizes making tracking difficult. We want to be your solution for data needs! We can offer budget-friendly solutions proven in other rural areas or help you collect data for your own pilot programs. With expertise in statistical analysis, criminology, criminal justice theory, and data science, we can help your agency reach its goals.
We Are a Law Enforcement Agency but Not Involved in Corrections or Courts. Can You Still Help Us?
Unfortunately, we only provide services in the areas of corrections and courts. The needs of correctional facilities and pre-trial agencies are unique — for example, prison gangs pose very different security risks compared to street gangs. Strategies effective inside a prison may not apply to police department operations on the street.
That said, we’re always happy to provide a free consultation to determine if we can assist you. If we cannot help, we may be able to refer you to another company specializing in your specific area of interest. We want to guarantee the best outcome for your agency, even if that means referring you elsewhere.
We Are a Law Enforcement Agency Located Outside of the United States. Can You Help?
We may not be able to assist all international agencies. Our staff is U.S.-based and educated, and while we hold advanced degrees and can help with certain aspects of data collection and analysis, we are only familiar with U.S. laws regarding corrections. This means we may not be able to provide evidence-based solutions beyond data analysis when assisting international clients. We aim to be transparent about our expertise.
Will You Use My Data for Anything Outside of the Scope of Work?
Your data is your property, and we will never breach confidentiality. We will not use your data for anything outside the agreed-upon scope of work unless we have explicit, written permission from the data owner. By default, your data will be securely stored on a password-protected external device (such as an external hard drive), unless you request a different storage method.
While we offer discounts for projects that allow us to use their data (for example, when using public data), privacy is always the default. Any exceptions must be formalized in writing. We are happy to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and provide additional privacy guarantees.