- Earnings Per Share Calculation (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Abstract]
Net income	$ 40,649	$ 34,920
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	56	67
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 40,705	$ 34,987
Basic earnings per share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.:
Weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	118,774	121,768
Per share amount (USD per share)	$ 0.34	$ 0.29
Diluted earnings per share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.:
Weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	118,774	121,768
Dilutive effect of equity incentive plans (in shares)	721	536
Weighted average shares assuming dilution (in shares)	119,496	122,304
Income from continuing operations (USD per share)	$ 0.34	$ 0.29