Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 548,350	$ 445,945	$ 1,058,535	$ 873,314
Operating expenses	416,837	333,930	805,343	651,839
Depreciation and amortization	28,652	26,560	57,103	51,501
General and administrative expenses	36,904	32,174	70,965	64,022
Operating income	65,957	53,281	125,124	105,952
Interest income	5,902	2,868	10,459	4,941
Interest expense	(31,089)	(26,651)	(60,455)	(51,297)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	(15,866)	0	(15,866)	0
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	24,904	29,498	59,262	59,596
Provision for income taxes	3,879	2,369	7,030	5,196
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $728, $516, $1,199 and $1,128, respectively	2,131	1,124	3,250	2,610
Net income	23,156	28,253	55,482	57,010
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	53	38	77	58
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 23,209	$ 28,291	$ 55,559	$ 57,068
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	74,044	73,665	73,960	73,607
Diluted (in shares)	74,319	73,903	74,254	73,894
Basic:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.31	$ 0.38	$ 0.75	$ 0.78
Diluted:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - diluted (in dollars per share)	0.31	0.38	0.75	0.77
Dividends declared per share	$ 0.65	$ 0.62	$ 1.30	$ 1.24