Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 566,759	$ 554,376	$ 1,694,443	$ 1,612,911
Operating expenses	423,134	415,659	1,276,286	1,221,002
Depreciation and amortization	31,649	28,783	92,464	85,886
General and administrative expenses	49,074	37,483	143,866	108,448
Operating income	62,902	72,451	181,827	197,575
Interest income	14,648	7,928	38,971	18,387
Interest expense	(38,719)	(33,428)	(109,702)	(93,864)
Loss on extinguishment of debt	0	0	0	(15,885)
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	38,831	46,951	111,096	106,213
Provision for income taxes	1,720	4,970	5,590	12,000
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $577, $650, $1,785 and $1,850, respectively	1,342	1,693	4,255	4,943
Net income	38,453	43,674	109,761	99,156
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	36	46	123	123
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 38,489	$ 43,720	$ 109,884	$ 99,279
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	122,251	111,162	119,356	111,015
Diluted (in shares)	122,887	111,504	120,114	111,425
Basic:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.31	$ 0.39	$ 0.92	$ 0.89
Diluted:
Income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - diluted (in dollars per share)	0.31	0.39	0.91	0.89
Dividends declared per share (in US dollars per share)	$ 0.47	$ 0.43	$ 1.41	$ 1.30