Summary of Business Operations and Significant Accounting Policies (Details Textual)	0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended											12 Months Ended
	Nov. 01, 2012 USD ($)	Aug. 08, 2012 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2011 USD ($) director	Aug. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($) person Bed facility state agency	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($) Bed segment person facility state agency	Jan. 01, 2012 USD ($) Bed	Jan. 02, 2011 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2012	Aug. 30, 2012	Apr. 24, 2012	Aug. 12, 2010	Jan. 03, 2010 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Facility Management Contracts [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Covenants not to compete [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Technology [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Foreign Subsidiaries [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Treasury Stock USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Kensani Corrections [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Cornell Companies, Inc. [Member]	Aug. 12, 2010 Cornell Companies, Inc. [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Amey [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] GBP (£)	Jan. 01, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] GBP (£)	Jan. 01, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] Line of Credit [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 SACS USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 SACS USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Geo UK [Member] GBP (£)	Feb. 28, 2011 Geo UK [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum Facility Management Contracts [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum Covenants not to compete [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum Building and Building Improvements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum Equipment and Furniture and Fixtures [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum Facility Management Contracts [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum Covenants not to compete [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum Building and Building Improvements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum Equipment and Furniture and Fixtures [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Subordinate Notes STLDC [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] South Texas Detention Complex Carrying Value [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Subordinate Notes STLDC [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] South Texas Detention Complex Carrying Value [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Residential Treatment Services [Member] facility bed
Summary of business operations and significant accounting policies (Textual) [Abstract]
Number Of Health Care Facility Contracts																																																6
Number of beds						73,000			73,000																																							1,970
Correctional, detention and residential treatment facilities including projects under development						100			100
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Declared	$ 0.20	$ 0.20
Cash dividends paid									$ 102,435,000	$ 0	$ 0
Provision of monitoring services tracking offenders						70,000			70,000
Number of federal, state and local correctional agencies to which company provide services						900			900
Number of states in which the company operates						50			50
Ownership percentage of equity method Investments in non-controlled affiliates, Minimum									20.00%
Ownership percentage of equity method Investments in non-controlled affiliates, Maximum									50.00%
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage												100.00%	0.00%	100.00%												50.00%
Cash and cash equivalents						31,755,000			31,755,000	43,378,000	38,088,000					28,592,000				24,800,000
Minimum period for payment receivable in arrears for services									30 days
Maximum period for payment receivable in arrears for services									60 days
Accounts receivable one year past due and still accruing																							1
Trade receivables						500,000			500,000	1,700,000
Federal and state income tax overpayments										22,200,000
Interest rate for subordinated loan extended to the former joint venture partner									13.00%
Notes receivable from its former joint venture partner						2,300,000			2,300,000	2,700,000
Principal amount and accrued interest at LIBOR																										3.00%
Receivable from joint venture																										19,400,000	13,100,000	12,000,000	8,400,000
Accrued interest included under line of credit																										200,000	200,000
Number of beds in South Texas detention complex in Frio County									1,904	1,904
Number of beds in Northwest detention center in Tacoma									1,575
Useful life																																					1 year			2 years	3 years			50 years	10 years
Accumulated amortization						9,800,000			9,800,000	5,300,000
Debt issuance costs included in other non-current assets						23,400,000			23,400,000	26,600,000
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Aggregate principal amount of taxable revenue bonds						49,500,000			49,500,000	250,000,000
Term period of non-recourse bonds of the Company									10 years
Property and equipment, net						1,687,159,000			1,687,159,000	1,688,356,000																					25,840,000	162,665,000														25,800,000	26,400,000
Stated interest rate of MCF revenue bond					8.47%
Company lease assets term					20 years
Maximum period to lease renewal					25 years
Issued share capital				100
Acquisition of ownership interests in MCF									35,154,000	0	0
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Redemptions or Purchase of Interests									8,100,000
Deferred tax assets recorded in equity in connection with MCF Transaction								0	10,015,000		0
Professional Fees							1,600,000
Percentage of ownership in South African joint venture in SACS									50.00%													50.00%
Life term of contract																																	25 years
Reduction of government guarantee in case of default									80.00%
Investment in Joint Ventures																										(4,100,000)	(2,400,000)						7,800,000	5,600,000
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage in Joint Venture									50.00%
Issued share capital, Shares				100																					50											50
Par value of share issued				$ 1
Allocated share capital				100																					50											50
Directors appointed to board by each party				3
Lines of credit provided by GEO UK and Amey																										12,000,000				19,400,000					12,000,000
Equity in Earnings of Affiliates, net of income tax provision of 0, $2,406 and $2,212									3,578,000	1,563,000	4,218,000
Line of Credit Including Accrued Interest						19,600,000			19,600,000																	19,600,000
Assets Held For Sale, Number of Beds						6,000			6,000
Assets Held For Sale, Number of Assets						7			7
Carrying Values of Idle Facilities Marketed to Potential Customers						240,200,000			240,200,000
Summary of business operations and significant accounting policies (Additional Textual) [Abstract]
Revenue based on performance of certain targets									0.01
Number of years lease term									10 years
Lease expiration date									Jan. 01, 2018
Period of lease extension option									up to three additional five-year terms
Carrying value of leased facility						34,300,000			34,300,000	35,200,000
Accumulated depreciation of leased facility						4,900,000			4,900,000	4,100,000
Rental income received on lease									4,500,000	4,500,000	4,500
General liability insurance maximum recoverage per occurrence						67,000,000
GEO care insurance maximum recoverage per occurrence									35,000,000
Deductible amount for general insurance liability and hospital professional insurance liability									3,000,000
Deductible amount for worker's compensation insurance liability						2,000,000			2,000,000
Deductible amount for automobile insurance liability									1,000,000
Undiscounted reserves for workers compensation and general liability claims						45,100,000			45,100,000	45,300,000
Number of months of treasury bonds in risk free rate calculation											3 months
Number of years of treasury bonds in risk free rate calculationm									5 years	5 years
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Treasury Stock Reissued																					(23,000)
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Treasury Stock Reissued									460,000												464,000
Line of credit included non current assets																												12,100,000
Number of years for amortization of acquired intangible assets																	13 years 4 months 24 days	2 years	7 years																			3 years	1 year			18 years	4 years
Non-controlling interest in MCF as a percentage of equity															100.00%
Dividends, Common Stock, Cash			12,300,000				(12,300,000)		(102,435,000)
Disposal Group, Number of Long-lived Assets Held For Sale						4			4
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Held-for-use						$ 2,400,000
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired												100.00%												100.00%
Number of Reportable Segments									4