Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2023	Mar. 31, 2022
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 608,209	$ 551,185
Operating expenses	433,492	385,161
Depreciation and amortization	31,923	35,938
General and administrative expenses	50,134	48,560
Operating income	92,660	81,526
Interest income	1,168	5,628
Interest expense	(54,258)	(31,621)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(136)
Loss on asset divestitures		(627)
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	39,434	54,906
Provision for income taxes	12,362	17,962
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $179 and $112, respectively	922	1,235
Net income	27,994	38,179
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	9	40
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 28,003	$ 38,219
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic	121,432	120,714
Diluted	125,139	121,394
Basic:
Net income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - basic	$ 0.19	$ 0.26
Diluted:
Net income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - diluted	$ 0.19	$ 0.26