Debt (Details Textual 1)	12 Months Ended											3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended						1 Months Ended							1 Months Ended				12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended									12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($) Bed facility guarantees	Dec. 31, 2012 ZAR	Jan. 01, 2012 USD ($) Bed	Jan. 02, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 CAD	Dec. 14, 2012	Aug. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2012	Apr. 24, 2012	Jan. 01, 2012 ZAR	Aug. 31, 2010	Oct. 03, 2010 Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Feb. 02, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 GEO Amey [Member] GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2012 Non Recourse Debt Northwest Detention Center [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Non Recourse Debt Northwest Detention Center [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 02, 2011 Non Recourse Debt Northwest Detention Center [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 09, 2011 Non Recourse Debt Two Thousand Eleven Revenue Bonds [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 MCFs Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 MCFs Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2009 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member]	Aug. 22, 2011 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member] USD ($)	Feb. 10, 2011 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member]	Oct. 21, 2010 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member] USD ($)	Oct. 20, 2009 Senior Note Due 2017 [Member]	Aug. 30, 2012 MCF Taxable Revenue Bonds [Member]	Feb. 10, 2011 Senior Notes Due 2021 [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes Due 2021 [Member]	Jan. 01, 2012 Senior Notes Due 2021 [Member]	Oct. 20, 2009 Senior Notes Due 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Taxable Revenue Bonds STLDC [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Subordinate Notes STLDC [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Australian Subsidiary's Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Australian Subsidiary's Non Recourse Debt [Member] AUD	Jan. 01, 2012 Australian Subsidiary's Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Australian Subsidiary's Non Recourse Debt [Member] AUD	Dec. 31, 2012 South Texas Detention Complex Carrying Value [Member] Subordinate Notes STLDC [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 South Texas Detention Complex Carrying Value [Member] Subordinate Notes STLDC [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 MCFs Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2012 Number Three [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 14, 2012 Number Four [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan A - 3 [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2012 Term Loan A - 3 [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan A [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan B [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 04, 2010 Term Loan B [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolver [Member]	Jan. 01, 2012 Revolver [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan A2 [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2012 Term Loan A2 [Member] USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number Of Restricted Payment Baskets						2
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description, Maximum Aggregate Indebtedness																																														$ 250,000,000
Restricted Payment Basket One																																														50,000,000	90,000,000
Restricted Payment Basket Two																																															75,000,000
Total Leverage Ratio						500.00%
Modified Total Leverage Ratio						475.00%
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted										60,000,000
Redemption Price as Percentage of Principal Amount before Period Two																											100.00%								100.00%
Debt Instrument, Increase, Additional Borrowings																										250,000,000							300,000,000																					100,000,000		150,000,000
Potential estimated exposure of tax obligations	2,500,000				2,500,000
Variable Interest Entity Ownership Percentage in Joint Venture	50.00%	50.00%
Debt (Textual) (Abstract)
Aggregate principal amount of taxable revenue bonds	49,500,000		250,000,000																		57,000,000							300,000,000					300,000,000				49,500,000											100,000,000	100,000,000	150,000,000	200,000,000	280,000,000			150,000,000	150,000,000
Bonds fixed coupon rates minimum																				4.10%																	4.76%
Bonds fixed coupon rates maximum																																					5.07%
Subordinated notes receivable from STLDC														5,200,000																								5,000,000
Payment from restricted cash for the current portion of periodic debt service requirement															5,000,000							6,300,000
Long-term Debt, Gross														22,400,000										13,400,000
Current Portion of Non recourse Debt																				6,500,000					15,800,000
Long-Term Debt	1,317,529,000		1,319,068,000																				54,400,000
Current restricted cash																				9,400,000																		6,200,000
Non current restricted cash																				1,500,000																		15,500,000	5,200,000	5,000,000
Notes bear interest at a rate											8.47%												6.40%	8.47%	8.47%		7.75%		6.625%		7.75%	8.47%	6.625%	6.625%		8.25%
Number of Facilities Purchased From Cornell	11	11
Non-recourse debt	123,482,000		241,798,000				77,900,000																		77,900,000														34,800,000	33,600,000	40,300,000	39,500,000
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage							100.00%	0.00%	100.00%								50.00%
Acquisition of ownership interests in MCF	35,154,000		0	0
Interest rate terms																																							variable rate quoted by certain Australian banks plus 140 basis points	variable rate quoted by certain Australian banks plus 140 basis points								LIBOR plus 2.75%		LIBOR plus 2.75%	LIBOR plus 2.75% with a LIBOR floor of 1.00%		LIBOR plus 2.75%		LIBOR plus 2.75%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date																																																Aug. 04, 2015		Aug. 04, 2015	Aug. 04, 2016		Aug. 04, 2015		Aug. 04, 2015
Debt instrument basis spread on variable rate																	3.00%
Ownership percentage in South African Custodial Services Pty. Limited	50.00%	50.00%
Maximum exposure to joint venture relative to note receivable																			12,000,000
Accrued interest included under line of credit																	200,000	200,000
Lines of credit outstanding																			12,100,000
Lines of credit facility	19,600,000																19,600,000
Lines of credit																	12,000,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	8,462,000		0	7,933,000
Payment of make-whole provision and other fees for early extinguishment of debt	14,861,000		0	0
Fair value premium on non-recourse																									8,300,000																				6,400,000
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt	358,000,000		835,395,000	726,000,000																						246,400,000							293,300,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount	1,195,000		1,538,000																							3,600,000
Principal Amount of Senior notes Exchanged																												300,000,000		250,000,000
Percentage of Notes Redeemable By Proceed from Specified Equity Offerings																																			35.00%
Redemption Price as Percentage of Principal Amount before Period One																																			106.625%
Number of bed in detention Complex	1,904	1,904	1,904
Term period of non-recourse bonds of the Company	10 years	10 years
Property and equipment, net	1,687,159,000		1,688,356,000											25,840,000		162,665,000																											25,800,000	26,400,000
Revised Number of Beds			1,575
Initial Number of Beds			1,030
Reduction in stand by letter of credit guarantee		34,800,000
Maximum loan amount under stand by facility to SACS	2,400,000	20,000,000
Remaining guarantee under letter of credit	4,100,000
Percentage of amount payable guaranteed by Company	60.00%	60.00%
Stand by letters of credit provided as security for guarantee		8,400,000
Liability related to potential tax exposure	2,200,000		2,000,000
Number of letters of guarantee outstanding under separate international facilities relating to performance guarantees	8	8
Letters of guarantee outstanding relating to performance guarantees	$ 12,600,000
Senior Secured Leverage Ratio There After												2.50	2.75