Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Details 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income	$ 38,898	$ 34,219	$ 66,894	$ 57,657
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	41,111	25,922	69,761	49,024
Operating expenses	300,058	279,246	591,981	560,043
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	37,360	38,511	37,360	38,511	52,125	31,755
Restricted cash and investments, current	14,448		14,448		11,518
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	270,965		270,965		250,530
Current deferred income tax assets	20,936		20,936		20,936
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	39,998		39,998		49,236
Total current assets	383,707		383,707		384,345
Restricted cash and investments, non-current	24,780		24,780		18,349
Property and equipment, net	1,737,357		1,737,357		1,727,798
Capital Leases, Lessor Balance Sheet, Net Investment in Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases, Noncurrent	14,361		14,361		16,944
Intercompany Receivable	0		0		0
Deferred Income Tax Assets, Net	4,821		4,821		4,821
Goodwill	494,095		494,095		490,196
Intangible Assets, Net	162,991		162,991		163,400
Investment in Subsidiaries	0		0		0
Other Non-Current Assets	83,271		83,271		83,511
Total Assets	2,905,383		2,905,383		2,889,364
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	56,467		56,467		47,286
Accrued payroll and related taxes	39,807		39,807		38,726
Accrued expenses and other	127,839		127,839		114,950
Current portion of capital lease obligations, long-term debt and non-recourse debt	22,837		22,837		22,163
Total current liabilities	246,950		246,950		223,125
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	14,689		14,689		14,689
Intercompany Payable	0		0		0
Other Non-Current Liabilities	70,342		70,342		64,961
Capital Lease Obligations	10,401		10,401		10,924
Long-Term Debt	1,479,027		1,479,027		1,485,536
Non-recourse debt	63,894		63,894		66,153
Commitments and Contingencies
Total shareholders’ equity attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	1,019,624		1,019,624		1,023,522
Noncontrolling interests	456		456		454
Total shareholders’ equity	1,020,080		1,020,080		1,023,976
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	2,905,383		2,905,383		2,889,364
Depreciation and amortization	23,748	23,657	47,890	46,592
General and administrative expenses	28,148	27,363	56,650	59,403
Operating Income (Loss)	60,889	51,387	109,459	92,646
Interest income	824	1,165	1,556	2,349
Interest expense	(20,602)	(21,103)	(41,254)	(40,444)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	3,387	(7,268)	5,525	(6,387)
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $654, $417, $1,203 and $894, respectively	1,174	1,029	2,658	2,246
Income from Continuing Operations before Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	38,898	34,219	66,894	57,657
Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	(12)	(6)	(30)
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	38,898	34,207	66,888	57,627
Other comprehensive income (loss)	641	(5,260)	1,683	(6,440)
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	39,539	28,959	68,577	51,217
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	5	19	2	42
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	39,544	28,978	68,579	51,259
The GEO Group, Inc.
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income	38,898	34,219	66,894	57,657
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	6,325	(6,224)	12,574	(13,124)
Operating expenses	111,191	102,108	218,413	201,518
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	1,184	5,736	1,184	5,736	30,730	4,764
Restricted cash and investments, current	0		0		0
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	96,897		96,897		84,087
Current deferred income tax assets	0		0		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	8,941		8,941		17,834
Total current assets	107,022		107,022		132,651
Restricted cash and investments, non-current	207		207		167
Property and equipment, net	697,383		697,383		686,005
Capital Leases, Lessor Balance Sheet, Net Investment in Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases, Noncurrent	0		0		0
Intercompany Receivable	936,036		936,036		947,916
Deferred Income Tax Assets, Net	0		0		0
Goodwill	34		34		34
Intangible Assets, Net	0		0		0
Investment in Subsidiaries	904,438		904,438		898,333
Other Non-Current Assets	20,250		20,250		23,346
Total Assets	2,665,370		2,665,370		2,688,452
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	6,298		6,298		29,866
Accrued payroll and related taxes	208		208		207
Accrued expenses and other	40,785		40,785		26,963
Current portion of capital lease obligations, long-term debt and non-recourse debt	3,000		3,000		3,000
Total current liabilities	50,291		50,291		60,036
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	(2,451)		(2,451)		(120)
Intercompany Payable	113,918		113,918		114,208
Other Non-Current Liabilities	4,960		4,960		5,270
Capital Lease Obligations	0		0		0
Long-Term Debt	1,479,027		1,479,027		1,485,536
Non-recourse debt	0		0		0
Commitments and Contingencies
Total shareholders’ equity attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	1,019,625		1,019,625		1,023,522
Noncontrolling interests	0		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity	1,019,625		1,019,625		1,023,522
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	2,665,370		2,665,370		2,688,452
Depreciation and amortization	6,441	5,875	12,847	11,697
General and administrative expenses	9,082	8,156	18,421	17,354
Operating Income (Loss)	12,369	2,720	24,156	1,779
Interest income	5,079	4,029	10,615	7,989
Interest expense	(11,123)	(10,373)	(22,197)	(20,292)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	0	(8,339)	0	(9,006)
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $654, $417, $1,203 and $894, respectively	0	0	0	0
Income from Continuing Operations before Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	6,325	2,115	12,574	(4,118)
Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	32,573	32,104	54,320	61,775
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		0	0	0
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	38,898	34,219	66,894	57,657
Other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	38,898	34,219	66,894	57,657
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	38,898	34,219	66,894	57,657
Combined Subsidiary Guarantors
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income	28,657	27,448	46,170	54,139
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	31,328	27,674	50,135	54,771
Operating expenses	251,833	239,194	502,513	479,671
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	2,919	1,084	2,919	1,084	985	1,917
Restricted cash and investments, current	0		0		0
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	156,652		156,652		149,239
Current deferred income tax assets	19,236		19,236		19,236
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	16,419		16,419		21,032
Total current assets	195,226		195,226		190,492
Restricted cash and investments, non-current	13,242		13,242		11,158
Property and equipment, net	955,715		955,715		956,724
Capital Leases, Lessor Balance Sheet, Net Investment in Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases, Noncurrent	0		0		0
Intercompany Receivable	123,557		123,557		123,237
Deferred Income Tax Assets, Net	0		0		0
Goodwill	493,368		493,368		489,501
Intangible Assets, Net	161,807		161,807		162,160
Investment in Subsidiaries	413,223		413,223		421,218
Other Non-Current Assets	104,920		104,920		104,241
Total Assets	2,461,058		2,461,058		2,458,731
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	47,180		47,180		13,895
Accrued payroll and related taxes	21,874		21,874		23,470
Accrued expenses and other	70,188		70,188		74,645
Current portion of capital lease obligations, long-term debt and non-recourse debt	1,138		1,138		1,185
Total current liabilities	140,380		140,380		113,195
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	17,123		17,123		14,792
Intercompany Payable	931,296		931,296		942,666
Other Non-Current Liabilities	139,649		139,649		138,743
Capital Lease Obligations	10,401		10,401		10,924
Long-Term Debt	0		0		0
Non-recourse debt	0		0		0
Commitments and Contingencies
Total shareholders’ equity attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	1,222,209		1,222,209		1,238,411
Noncontrolling interests	0		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity	1,222,209		1,222,209		1,238,411
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	2,461,058		2,461,058		2,458,731
Depreciation and amortization	16,169	16,556	32,803	32,438
General and administrative expenses	15,355	15,420	30,891	33,612
Operating Income (Loss)	44,070	42,950	76,205	80,928
Interest income	615	359	1,051	909
Interest expense	(13,357)	(12,708)	(27,121)	(24,139)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	2,671	226	3,965	632
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $654, $417, $1,203 and $894, respectively	0	0	0	0
Income from Continuing Operations before Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	28,657	27,448	46,170	54,139
Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		0	0	0
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	28,657	27,448	46,170	54,139
Other comprehensive income (loss)	20	40	39	80
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	28,677	27,488	46,209	54,219
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	28,677	27,488	46,209	54,219
Combined Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income	3,916	4,656	8,150	7,636
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	3,458	4,472	7,052	7,377
Operating expenses	47,461	44,855	90,415	92,137
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	33,257	31,691	33,257	31,691	20,410	25,074
Restricted cash and investments, current	14,448		14,448		11,518
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	17,416		17,416		17,204
Current deferred income tax assets	1,700		1,700		1,700
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	15,791		15,791		11,524
Total current assets	82,612		82,612		62,356
Restricted cash and investments, non-current	11,331		11,331		7,024
Property and equipment, net	84,259		84,259		85,069
Capital Leases, Lessor Balance Sheet, Net Investment in Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases, Noncurrent	14,361		14,361		16,944
Intercompany Receivable	0		0		0
Deferred Income Tax Assets, Net	4,821		4,821		4,821
Goodwill	693		693		661
Intangible Assets, Net	1,184		1,184		1,240
Investment in Subsidiaries	4		4		0
Other Non-Current Assets	37,881		37,881		35,615
Total Assets	237,146		237,146		213,730
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	2,989		2,989		3,525
Accrued payroll and related taxes	17,725		17,725		15,049
Accrued expenses and other	18,020		18,020		14,496
Current portion of capital lease obligations, long-term debt and non-recourse debt	18,699		18,699		17,978
Total current liabilities	57,433		57,433		51,048
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	17		17		17
Intercompany Payable	14,379		14,379		14,279
Other Non-Current Liabilities	5,603		5,603		639
Capital Lease Obligations	0		0		0
Long-Term Debt	0		0		0
Non-recourse debt	63,894		63,894		66,153
Commitments and Contingencies
Total shareholders’ equity attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	95,364		95,364		81,140
Noncontrolling interests	456		456		454
Total shareholders’ equity	95,820		95,820		81,594
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	237,146		237,146		213,730
Depreciation and amortization	1,138	1,226	2,240	2,457
General and administrative expenses	3,711	3,787	7,338	8,437
Operating Income (Loss)	4,450	5,717	9,098	9,939
Interest income	750	1,123	1,429	2,219
Interest expense	(1,742)	(2,368)	(3,475)	(4,781)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	716	845	1,560	1,987
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $654, $417, $1,203 and $894, respectively	1,174	1,029	2,658	2,246
Income from Continuing Operations before Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	3,916	4,656	8,150	7,636
Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		(12)	(6)	(30)
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	3,916	4,644	8,144	7,606
Other comprehensive income (loss)	621	(5,300)	1,644	(6,520)
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	4,537	(644)	9,794	1,116
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	5	19	2	42
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	4,542	(625)	9,796	1,158
Eliminations
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income	(32,573)	(32,104)	(54,320)	(61,775)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0	0	0
Operating expenses	(110,427)	(106,911)	(219,360)	(213,283)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	0		0		0
Restricted cash and investments, current	0		0		0
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts	0		0		0
Current deferred income tax assets	0		0		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(1,153)		(1,153)		(1,154)
Total current assets	(1,153)		(1,153)		(1,154)
Restricted cash and investments, non-current	0		0		0
Property and equipment, net	0		0		0
Capital Leases, Lessor Balance Sheet, Net Investment in Direct Financing and Sales Type Leases, Noncurrent	0		0		0
Intercompany Receivable	(1,059,593)		(1,059,593)		(1,071,153)
Deferred Income Tax Assets, Net	0		0		0
Goodwill	0		0		0
Intangible Assets, Net	0		0		0
Investment in Subsidiaries	(1,317,665)		(1,317,665)		(1,319,551)
Other Non-Current Assets	(79,780)		(79,780)		(79,691)
Total Assets	(2,458,191)		(2,458,191)		(2,471,549)
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable	0		0		0
Accrued payroll and related taxes	0		0		0
Accrued expenses and other	(1,154)		(1,154)		(1,154)
Current portion of capital lease obligations, long-term debt and non-recourse debt	0		0		0
Total current liabilities	(1,154)		(1,154)		(1,154)
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities	0		0		0
Intercompany Payable	(1,059,593)		(1,059,593)		(1,071,153)
Other Non-Current Liabilities	(79,870)		(79,870)		(79,691)
Capital Lease Obligations	0		0		0
Long-Term Debt	0		0		0
Non-recourse debt	0		0		0
Commitments and Contingencies
Total shareholders’ equity attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	(1,317,574)		(1,317,574)		(1,319,551)
Noncontrolling interests	0		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity	(1,317,574)		(1,317,574)		(1,319,551)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	(2,458,191)		(2,458,191)		(2,471,549)
Depreciation and amortization	0	0	0	0
General and administrative expenses	0	0	0	0
Operating Income (Loss)	0	0	0	0
Interest income	(5,620)	(4,346)	(11,539)	(8,768)
Interest expense	5,620	4,346	11,539	8,768
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	0	0	0	0
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $654, $417, $1,203 and $894, respectively	0	0	0	0
Income from Continuing Operations before Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Equity in Income of Consolidated Subsidiaries	(32,573)	(32,104)	(54,320)	(61,775)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		0	0	0
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	(32,573)	(32,104)	(54,320)	(61,775)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	(32,573)	(32,104)	(54,320)	(61,775)
Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	$ (32,573)	$ (32,104)	$ (54,320)	$ (61,775)