Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2022	Mar. 31, 2021
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 551,185	$ 576,377
Operating expenses	385,161	428,151
Depreciation and amortization	35,938	34,117
General and administrative expenses	48,560	48,479
Operating income	81,526	65,630
Interest income	5,628	6,202
Interest expense	(31,621)	(31,844)
Gain on extinguishment of debt		3,038
Gain (loss) on dispositions of real estate	(627)	13,329
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	54,906	56,355
Provision for income taxes	17,962	7,936
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net of income tax provision of $112 and $340 respectively	1,235	2,064
Net income	38,179	50,483
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	40	61
Net income attributable to The GEO Group, Inc.	$ 38,219	$ 50,544
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic	120,714	120,022
Diluted	121,394	120,417
Basic:
Net income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - basic	$ 0.26	$ 0.41
Diluted:
Net income per common share attributable to The GEO Group, Inc. - diluted	$ 0.26	0.41
Dividends declared per share		$ 0.25