Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 577,070	$ 548,350	$ 1,127,684	$ 1,058,535
Operating expenses	438,445	416,837	853,152	805,343
Depreciation and amortization	31,866	28,652	60,815	57,103
General and administrative expenses	52,206	36,904	94,792	70,965
Operating income	54,553	65,957	118,925	125,124
Interest income	12,346	5,902	24,323	10,459
Interest expense	(35,983)	(31,089)	(70,983)	(60,455)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	0	(15,866)	0	(15,866)
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	30,916	24,904	72,265	59,262
Provision for income taxes	1,400	3,879	3,870	7,030
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $597, $728, $1,208 and $1,199, respectively	1,426	2,131	2,913	3,250
Net income	30,942	23,156	71,308	55,482
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	50	53	87	77
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 30,992	$ 23,209	$ 71,395	$ 55,559
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	122,125	111,066	117,885	110,940
Diluted (in shares)	122,895	111,479	118,702	111,381
Basic:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.25	$ 0.21	$ 0.61	$ 0.50
Diluted:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - diluted (in dollars per share)	0.25	0.21	0.60	0.50
Dividends declared per share (in US dollars per share)	$ 0.47	$ 0.43	$ 0.94	$ 0.87