GEO GROUP INC
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 29, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 29, 2024
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Item 1. Business
As used in this report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “GEO” and the “Company” refer to The GEO Group, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and its unconsolidated affiliates, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.
General
We specialize in the ownership, leasing and management of secure facilities, processing centers and reentry facilities and the provision of community-based services in the United States, Australia and South Africa. We own, lease and operate a broad range of secure facilities including maximum, medium and minimum-security facilities, processing centers, as well as community-based reentry facilities. We develop new facilities based on contract awards, using our project development expertise and experience to design, construct and finance what we believe are state-of-the-art facilities. We provide innovative technologies, industry-leading monitoring services, and evidence-based supervision and treatment programs for community-based programs. We also provide secure transportation services domestically and in the United Kingdom through our joint venture GEOAmey Ltd. (“GEOAmey”). As of December 31, 2023, our worldwide operations included the management and/or ownership of approximately 81,000 beds at 100 secure and community-based facilities, including idle facilities, and also includes the provision of reentry and electronic monitoring and supervision services for thousands of individuals, including an array of technology products including radio frequency, GPS, and alcohol monitoring devices.
We provide a diversified scope of services on behalf of our government agency partners:
our secure facility management services involve the provision of security, administrative, rehabilitation, education, and food services at secure services facilities;
our reentry services involve supervision of individuals in community-based programs and reentry centers and the provision of temporary housing, programming, employment assistance and other services with the intention of the successful reintegration of residents into the community;
we provide comprehensive electronic monitoring and supervision services;
we develop new facilities, using our project development experience to design, construct and finance what we believe are state-of-the-art facilities;
we provide secure transportation services; and
our services are provided at facilities which we either own, lease or are owned by our government agency partners.
GEO operated as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2020. As a REIT, GEO provided services and conducted other business activities through taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"). A TRS is a subsidiary of a REIT that is subject to applicable corporate income tax rates and certain qualification requirements. GEO’s use of TRSs permitted us to engage in certain business activities in which the REIT could not engage directly, so long as those activities were conducted in entities that elected to be treated as TRSs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and enabled GEO to, among other things, provide correctional services at facilities it owned and at facilities owned by its government partners. A TRS is not subject to the distribution requirements applicable to REITs so it may retain income generated by its operations for reinvestment.
On December 2, 2021, we announced that our Board of Directors ("Board") unanimously approved a plan to terminate GEO’s REIT election and become a taxable C Corporation, effective for the year ended December 31, 2021. As a result, we are no longer required to operate under REIT rules, including the requirement to distribute at least 90% of REIT taxable income to our stockholders, which provides us with greater flexibility to use our free cash flow. Effective January 1, 2021, we are subject to federal and state income taxes on our taxable income at applicable tax rates and we are no longer entitled to a tax deduction for dividends paid. GEO operated as a REIT for the 2020 tax year, and existing REIT requirements and limitations remained in place until December 31, 2020. The Board also voted unanimously to discontinue our quarterly dividend payment and prioritize allocating GEO’s free cash flow to reduce debt.
As a result of GEO’s Board announcing the change in corporate structure to a taxable C Corporation in fiscal year 2021, we incurred a one-time, non-cash deferred tax charge of approximately $70.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2021. We also incurred approximately $29.3 million in incremental income tax expense in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to the resulting higher corporate tax rate for all of 2021, including a catch-up tax expense of approximately $16.8 million in connection with the first three quarters of 2021.
Business Segments
We conduct our business through four reportable business segments: our U.S. Secure Services segment; our Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services segment; our Reentry Services segment and our International Services segment. We have identified these four reportable segments to reflect our current view that we operate four distinct business lines, each of which constitutes a material part of our overall business.
Our U.S. Secure Services segment primarily encompasses our U.S.-based public-private partnership secure services business. Our Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services segment, which conducts its services in the U.S., consists of our electronic monitoring and supervision services. Our Reentry Services segment consists of various community-based and reentry services. Our International Services segment primarily consists of our public-private partnership secure services operations in Australia and South Africa. Financial information about these segments for years 2023, 2022 and 2021 is contained in Note 14 — Business Segments and Geographic Information included in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Developments
Transition of Jose Gordo from Chief Executive Officer to Advisor
We announced on November 30, 2023 that following discussions between GEO and its Chief Executive Officer, Jose Gordo, the parties agreed that Mr. Gordo would depart as Chief Executive Officer and as a Board member on mutually agreeable terms and transition to the role of an advisor, effective December 31, 2023 (the “Separation Date”).
Mr. Gordo and GEO entered into a Separation and General Release Agreement, on November 29, 2023 (the “Separation Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Separation Agreement, Mr. Gordo will: (i) receive all accrued wages through December 31, 2023, less applicable withholdings; (ii) be eligible to receive a target annual performance award for the year ended December 31, 2023 pursuant to the terms of GEO’s Senior Management Performance Award Plan (the “Performance Award Plan”), if and to the extent earned, at the same time as other senior management employees participating in the Performance Award Plan; and (iii) be entitled to the payment of health insurance premiums under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) for a period ending on the earlier of eighteen (18) months following the Separation Date or the date he is no longer entitled to receive COBRA continuation coverage. Under the terms of the Separation Agreement, Mr. Gordo’s equity award agreements will survive the separation of his employment except that performance shares shall only vest during the 18-month period of the Advisory Agreement. The Separation Agreement also contains a mutual release, cooperation and non-disparagement provisions.
Mr. Gordo and GEO also entered into an Advisory Services Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) on November 29, 2023, effective as of January 1, 2024, for a period of eighteen (18) months concluding on June 30, 2025 (the “Advisory Period”). Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, Mr. Gordo will be available to give advice and support regarding litigation, client relations, operational issues, growth opportunities, and company financial management and debt restructuring matters and provide any and all other related assistance requested by us for an advisory fee of $40,000 per month for the Advisory Period. We are seeking to continue Mr. Gordo’s services in these specific areas to benefit from his many years of experience in the industry, the deep relationships he has forged inside GEO and with its industry partners, his global operating perspectives, and his specific expertise in a specialized industry. Additionally, Mr. Gordo’s previously-awarded unvested performance shares shall continue to vest as scheduled through June 30, 2025, when and to the extent the Compensation Committee of the Board certifies that the performance goals are actually met. The Advisory Agreement also contains provisions related to confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
Appointment of Brian Evans as Chief Executive Officer
Brian Evans, who has been with GEO for 23 years and served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer for 14 years, was appointed Chief Executive Officer on November 29, 2023, effective January 1, 2024.
In connection with his appointment, Mr. Evans and GEO entered into an Executive Employment Agreement (the “Evans Employment Agreement”) on December 4, 2023 to provide that Mr. Evans will be employed by us for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024 (the “Effective Date”). Unless the Evans Employment Agreement is sooner terminated, or not renewed, it will automatically extend upon the end of its initial term for a rolling three-year term. Pursuant to the terms of the Evans Employment Agreement, Mr. Evans will serve as Chief
Executive Officer and report directly to the Executive Chairman. Either Mr. Evans or GEO may terminate Mr. Evan’s employment under the Evans Employment Agreement for any reason upon not less than thirty (30) days written notice.
Under the terms of the Evans Employment Agreement, Mr. Evans will be paid an annual base salary of $1,000,000, subject to the review and potential increase in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Evans will also be entitled to receive a target annual performance award of 100% of Mr. Evans’ base salary and be entitled to participate in the Amended and Restated The GEO Group, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Stock Incentive Plan”).
The Evans Employment Agreement provides that upon the separation of employment by Mr. Evans for good reason, by us without cause or upon the death or disability of Mr. Evans, he will be entitled to receive a separation payment equal to two (2) times the sum of his annual base salary. We will also continue to provide Mr. Evans and any covered dependents with the Executive Benefits as defined in the Evans Employment Agreement for a period of five (5) years after the date of separation. In the event of Mr. Evans’ death within such five (5) year period, we will continue to provide the Executive Benefits to Mr. Evans’ covered dependents, and, if applicable to Mr. Evans’ estate. In addition, the Evans Employment Agreement provides that upon such separation, GEO will transfer all of its interest in any automobile used by Mr. Evans pursuant to its Executive Automobile Policy (the “Executive Automobile Policy”) and pay the balance of any outstanding loans or leases on such automobile so that Mr. Evans owns the automobile outright. In the event such automobile is leased, GEO will pay the residual cost of the lease. Lastly, all of the outstanding and unvested stock options and restricted stock granted to Mr. Evans prior to separation will fully vest immediately upon separation; provided, however that any restricted stock that is subject to performance-based vesting shall only vest when and to the extent the Compensation Committee certifies that the performance goals are actually met, and provided further that Mr. Evans remains in full compliance with the restrictive covenants set forth in the Evans Employment Agreement. Upon a separation of employment by GEO for cause or by Mr. Evans without good reason, Mr. Evans will be entitled to only the amount of compensation that is due through the effective date of the separation.
The Evans Employment Agreement includes a non-competition covenant that runs through the three-year period following the separation of the executive’s employment, and confidentiality and work product provisions.
Appointment of Shayn March as Acting Chief Financial Officer
Shayn March, Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, was appointed Acting Chief Financial Officer on November 29, 2023, effective January 1, 2024. Mr. March, 58, joined the Company as Vice President of Finance and Treasurer in March 2009.
In connection with his appointment as Acting Chief Financial Officer, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in Mr. March’s annual base salary to $450,000, effective January 1, 2024. Otherwise, the terms of Mr. March’s employment continue to be governed by the Executive Employment Agreement that the Company and Mr. March entered into, effective June 22, 2021 (the “March Employment Agreement”). The March Employment Agreement provides that Mr. March will be employed by GEO for a two-year term beginning June 22, 2021. Unless the March Employment Agreement is sooner terminated, or not renewed, it automatically extends for an additional two years after the end of each term. Either Mr. March or GEO may terminate Mr. March’s employment under the March Employment Agreement for any reason upon not less than thirty (30) days written notice. Under the terms of the March Employment Agreement, Mr. March is entitled to receive an annual bonus in accordance with the terms of any plan governing employee bonuses then in effect as established by the Board of Directors.
The March Employment Agreement provides that upon the separation of employment by GEO without cause or upon the death or disability of Mr. March, he will be entitled to receive a separation payment equal to the current annual base salary for the greater of: (i) the remainder of the term or (ii) twelve (12) months. We will also continue to provide Mr. March and any covered dependents with the Employee Benefits as defined in the March Employment Agreement for a period of twelve (12) months after the date of separation. In the event of Mr. March’s death within such twelve (12) month period, we will continue to provide the Employee Benefits to Mr. March’s covered dependents, and, if applicable to Mr. March’s estate. Lastly, all of the outstanding and unvested stock options and restricted stock granted to Mr. March prior to separation will continue to vest for the greater of: (i) the remainder of the term or (ii) twelve (12) months. Upon a separation of employment by GEO for cause or a resignation by Mr. March, Mr. March will be entitled to only the amount of compensation that is due through the effective date of the separation.
The March Employment Agreement includes a non-competition covenant that runs through the two-year period following the separation of the executive’s employment, and confidentiality and work product provisions.
Appointment of Wayne Calabrese as President and Chief Operating Officer
Wayne Calabrese, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer on November 29, 2023, effective January 1, 2024.
In connection with Mr. Calabrese’s appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Calabrese and GEO entered into an Executive Employment Agreement on December 4, 2023 (the “Calabrese Employment Agreement”), to provide that Mr. Calabrese will be employed by us for a two-year term beginning the Effective Date and ending on December 31, 2025.
Under the terms of the Calabrese Employment Agreement, Mr. Calabrese will be paid an annual base salary of $700,000, subject to the review and recommendation of a potential increase in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Calabrese will be entitled to receive a target annual performance award of eighty percent (80%) of his base salary and will also be entitled to participate in the Stock Incentive Plan.
The Calabrese Employment Agreement provides that upon a separation of employment by Mr. Calabrese for good reason or by GEO without cause or upon the death or disability of Mr. Calabrese, he will be entitled to a lump sum separation payment equal to Mr. Calabrese’s annual base salary for six (6) months. In addition, the Calabrese Employment Agreement provides that upon such separation, we will transfer all of our interest in any automobile used by Mr. Calabrese pursuant to its Executive Automobile Policy and pay the balance of any outstanding loans or leases on such automobile so that Mr. Calabrese owns the automobile outright. Additionally, all of the outstanding unvested stock options and restricted stock granted to Mr. Calabrese prior to separation will fully vest immediately upon separation; provided however, that any restricted stock that is subject to performance-based vesting shall only vest when and to the extent the Compensation Committee certifies that the performance goals are actually met. Upon a separation of employment by Mr. Calabrese without good reason or by GEO for cause, Mr. Calabrese will be entitled to only the amount of compensation that is due through the effective date of the separation. Except that if Mr. Calabrese’s separation from employment occurs upon the conclusion of his two-year term (or any extension thereof) (the “Full Term Separation Date”), all of the outstanding unvested stock options and restricted stock granted to Mr. Calabrese prior to the Full Term Separation Date will fully vest immediately upon separation; provided however, that any restricted stock that is still subject to performance-based vesting as of the Full Term Separation Date shall only vest when and to the extent the Compensation Committee certifies that the performance goals are actually met, and provided further that Mr. Calabrese remains in full compliance with the restrictive covenants set forth in the Calabrese Employment Agreement. The Calabrese Employment Agreement also provides that Mr. Calabrese is not eligible for retirement benefits under GEO's policy based on his prior employment and retirement, which resulted in Mr. Calabrese taking his retirement benefits at that time.
The Calabrese Employment Agreement includes a non-competition covenant that runs through the three-year period following the executive’s separation from employment, and confidentiality and work product provisions.
Non-Renewal of Term under Executive Chairman Employment Agreement and Transition of Dr. George Zoley from Executive Chairman to Advisor and non-Executive Chairman
In addition, on November 29, 2023, we confirmed that Dr. George Zoley, our Founder and Executive Chairman, will step down as Executive Chairman on June 30, 2026, at the end of his current employment term under his Executive Chairman Employment Agreement. GEO and Dr. Zoley plan on entering into an Advisory Services Agreement prior to June 30, 2026 to reflect Dr. Zoley’s continuing role with GEO as an Advisor beginning on July 1, 2026 while continuing to serve as our non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, subject to shareholder approval.
Contract Developments
On December 18, 2023, we received a new task order from ICE establishing February 19, 2024 as the end of the contract performance period, ten months short of the end of our 1,940-bed company owned Adelanto ICE Processing Center's base contract term. The next day, on December 19 th, ICE issued a public statement, saying, in part, that “While no final decision has been made regarding the disposition of the facility, ICE must consider the effect of ongoing litigation that prevents full use of the facility, likelihood of relief from that litigation, the cost associated with maintaining the facility and the operational requirements for effective national detention operations.”
We believe the task order and public statement issued by ICE demonstrate that the government is considering whether to discontinue its use of the facility before the end of the contract’s base term due to the ongoing impact of the outdated COVID-19 related limitations imposed by the federal court over three years ago. As a result, GEO and the three unions representing the Facility’s employees have filed motions to protect GEO’s interests which include annualized revenues and the potential loss of jobs by 350-plus Facility employees. Subsequent to the filing of these motions, ICE extended the task order funding for the Adelanto contract through June 19, 2024.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, in Colorado, we renewed our contract with ICE for the provision of the company-owned 1,532-bed Aurora ICE Processing Center and associated secure support services for a one-year term.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, in California, we renewed our contract with the U.S. Marshals for the provision of secure support services at the government-owned, 512-bed El Centro Detention Facility for a two-year term.
Also during the fourth quarter of 2023, at the state level, we received a two-year renewal of our lease agreement with the State of New Mexico for our company-owned, 600-bed Guadalupe County Correctional Facility, which is managed by the New Mexico Corrections Department.
Additionally, our GEO Reentry Services division renewed five residential reentry center contracts at the state and federal levels during the fourth quarter of 2023.
During the third quarter of 2023, we renewed two direct contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service. One was at our company-owned 1,900-bed Rio Grande Processing Center in Texas for a five-year term, and the second at our company-leased 770-bed Western Region Detention Facility in San Diego for a two-year term.
We also renewed three contracts with ICE during the third quarter of 2023 for respective one-year terms that include our company-owned 700-bed Broward Transitional Center in Florida, our company-owned 1,904-bed South Texas ICE Processing Center, and our company-owned 1,314-bed Montgomery Processing Center in Texas and entered into a new emergency nine month contract to provide air operations support for ICE.
On April 28, 2023, we signed a 66-month lease, with subsequent unlimited one-year options, with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for our previously idled company-owned Great Plains Correctional Facility which commenced May 1, 2023.
During the first quarter of 2023, the USMS exercised the five-year option period under our direct contract for the 768-bed Robert Deyton Facility in Georgia, which is now effective through February 2028.
On January 9, 2023, we announced that our Australian subsidiary, GEO Australia, had entered into a contract with the Department of Justice and Community Safety in the State of Victoria for delivery of primary health services across thirteen public prisons. The contract commenced on July 1, 2023.
Idle Facilities
In our Secure Services segment, as of December 31, 2023, we are marketing 9,732 vacant beds with a net book value of approximately $251.2 million at seven of our idle facilities to potential customers. In our Reentry Services segment, as of December 31, 2023, we are marketing 1,689 vacant beds with a net book value of approximately $37.2 million at three of our idle facilities to potential customers. The combined annual carrying cost of these idle facilities in 2024 is estimated to be $26.2 million, including depreciation expense of $17.9 million. With the exception of a contract pending due diligence for one of our secure facilities, we currently do not have any firm commitments or agreements in place to activate these facilities but have ongoing contact with several potential customers. Historically, some facilities have been idle for multiple years before they received a new contract award. The per diem rates that we charge our clients often vary by contract across our portfolio. However, if the ten idle facilities in our Secure Services and Reentry Services segments were to be activated using our Secure Services and Reentry Services average per diem rate in 2023 (calculated as revenue divided by the number of mandays) and based on the average occupancy rate in our facilities for 2023, we would expect to receive annual incremental revenue of approximately $350 million and an increase in annual earnings per share of approximately $.28 to $.33 per share based on our average operating margin.
Quality of Operations
We operate each facility in accordance with our company-wide policies and procedures and with the standards and guidelines required under the relevant management contract. For many facilities, the standards and guidelines include those established by the American Correctional Association (“ACA”). The ACA is an independent organization of corrections professionals, which establishes correctional facility standards and guidelines that are generally acknowledged as a benchmark by governmental agencies responsible for correctional facilities. Many of our contracts in the United States require us to seek and maintain ACA accreditation for our facilities. We have sought and received ACA accreditation and re-accreditation for all such facilities. We achieved a median re-accreditation score of 100% as of December
31, 2023. Approximately 93% of our 2023 U.S. Secure Services revenue was derived from ACA accredited facilities for the year ended December 31, 2023. We have been successful in achieving and maintaining accreditation under the National Commission on Correctional Health Care ("NCCHC") in a majority of the facilities that we currently operate. The NCCHC accreditation is a voluntary process which we have used to establish comprehensive health care policies and procedures to meet and adhere to the ACA standards. The NCCHC standards, in most cases, exceed ACA Health Care Standards and we have achieved this accreditation at 21 of our U.S. Secure Services facilities and at one reentry services location. Additionally, B.I. Incorporated ("BI") has achieved a certification for ISO 9001:2008 for the design, production, installation and servicing of products and services produced by the electronic monitoring business units, including electronic home arrest and electronic monitoring technology products and monitoring services, installation services, and automated caseload management services.
Corporate Social Responsibility
In October 2023, we issued our fifth Human Rights and Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) report. The Human Rights and ESG report builds on the important milestone we achieved in 2013 when our Board adopted a Global Human Rights Policy by providing disclosures related to how we inform our employees of our commitment to respecting human rights; the criteria we use to assess human rights performance; and our contract compliance program, remedies to shortcomings in human rights performance, and independent verification of our performance by third party organizations. The Human Rights and ESG report also addresses criteria, based on recognized ESG reporting standards, related to the development of our employees; our efforts to advance environmental sustainability in the construction and operation of our facilities; and our adherence to ethical governance practices throughout our company. The report covers the year ended December 31, 2022 with supporting data from 2020-2022 where possible. The report showcases, among other items, our company wide awareness and training programs, our commitment to a safe and humane environment for everyone in our care, employee diversity, addressing recidivism through our GEO Continuum of Care, our engagement efforts with our stakeholders, oversight and contract compliance, conservation measures and enhanced environmental sustainability efforts.
The ESG report was prepared with reference to the GRI Standards related to General Disclosures, Economic Topics, Environmental Topics and Social Topics based on the Global Reporting Initiative, or GRI, issued by the Global Sustainability Standards Board and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. GRI is an international independent standards organization created to help business, government and other organizations understand and communicate how their operations affect issues of global importance, such as human rights, corruption and climate change. We have referenced the GRI Standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as we have recognized the need for a transparent and disciplined enterprise-wide approach. In our pursuit of this approach, we have begun with the following set of ongoing objectives:
Provide greater transparency for our stakeholders and the general public with respect to our various efforts in all our facilities aimed at respecting human rights.
Enhance our ability to flag potential issues in all areas of our operations and compress the time it takes to respond with corrective measures.
Use widely accepted methodologies for evaluating performance and setting objectives for improvements in corporate governance, corporate social policy, environmental impact and energy conservation.
The ESG report may be accessed on our website under "Investors-Latest Reports-Latest ESG Report." The information included in the Human Rights and ESG report is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Business Development Overview
Our primary potential customers include: governmental agencies responsible for local, state and federal secure facilities in the United States; governmental agencies responsible for secure facilities in Australia and South Africa; federal, state and local government agencies in the United States responsible for reentry services for adult offenders; federal, state and local government agencies responsible for monitoring community-based parolees, probationers and pretrial defendants; and other foreign governmental agencies. We achieve organic growth through competitive bidding that begins with the issuance by a government agency of a request for proposal, or RFP. We primarily rely on the RFP process for organic growth in our U.S. and international secure services operations as well as in our reentry services and electronic monitoring and supervision services business.
For our facility management contracts, our state and local experience has been that a period of approximately 60 to 90 days is generally required from the issuance of a request for proposal to the submission of our response to the request for proposal; that between one and four months elapse between the submission of our response and the agency’s award of a contract; and that between one and four months elapse between the award of a contract and the commencement of facility construction or management of the facility, as applicable.
For our facility management contracts, our federal experience has been that a period of approximately 60 to 90 days is generally required from the issuance of a request for proposal to the submission of our response to the request for proposal; that between 12 and 18 months elapse between the submission of our response and the agency’s award of a contract; and that between four and 18 weeks elapse between the award of a contract and the commencement of facility construction or management of the facility, as applicable.
If the local, state or federal facility for which an award has been made must be constructed, our experience is that construction usually takes between nine and 24 months to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the project. Therefore, management of a newly constructed facility typically commences between 10 and 28 months after the governmental agency’s award.
For the services provided by BI, local, state and federal experience has been that a period of approximately 30 to 90 days is generally required from the issuance of an RFP or Invitation to Bid, or ITB, to the submission of our response; that between one and three months elapse between the submission of our response and the agency’s award of a contract; and that between one and three months elapse between the award of a contract and the commencement of a program or the implementation of program operations, as applicable.
The term of our local, state and federal contracts range from one to five years and some contracts include provisions for optional renewal terms beyond the initial contract term. Contracts can, and are periodically, extended beyond the initial contract term and optional renewal terms through alternative procurement processes including sole source justification processes, cooperative procurement vehicles and agency decisions to add extension time periods.
We believe that our long operating history and reputation have earned us credibility with both existing and prospective customers when bidding on new facility management contracts or when renewing existing contracts.
We also plan to leverage our experience and scale of service offerings to expand the range of public-private partnership services that we provide. We have engaged and intend in the future to engage independent consultants to assist us in developing public-private partnership opportunities and in responding to requests for proposals, monitoring the legislative and business climate, and maintaining relationships with existing customers.
Facility Design, Construction and Finance
We offer governmental agencies consultation and management services relating to the design and construction of new secure facilities and the redesign and renovation of older facilities including facilities we own, lease or manage as well as facilities we do not own, lease or manage. Domestically, as of December 31, 2023, we have provided services for the design and construction of approximately 69 facilities and for the redesign, renovation and expansion of approximately 25 facilities.
Contracts to design and construct or to redesign and renovate facilities may be financed in a variety of ways. Governmental agencies may finance the construction of such facilities through any of the following methods:
a one time general revenue appropriation by the governmental agency for the cost of the new facility;
general obligation bonds that are secured by either a limited or unlimited tax levy by the issuing governmental entity; or
revenue bonds or certificates of participation secured by an annual lease payment that is subject to annual or bi-annual legislative appropriations.
We may also act as a source of financing or as a facilitator with respect to the financing of the construction of a facility. In these cases, the construction of such facilities may be financed through various methods including the following:
funds from equity offerings of our stock;
cash on hand and/or cash flows from our operations;
borrowings by us from banks or other institutions (which may or may not be subject to government guarantees in the event of contract termination);
funds from debt offerings of our notes; or
lease arrangements with third parties.
If the project is financed using direct governmental appropriations, with proceeds of the sale of bonds or other obligations issued prior to the award of the project, then financing is in place when the contract relating to the construction or renovation project is executed. If the project is financed using project-specific tax-exempt bonds or other obligations, the construction contract is generally subject to the sale of such bonds or obligations. Generally, substantial expenditures for construction will not be made on such a project until the tax-exempt bonds or other obligations are sold; and, if such bonds or obligations are not sold, construction and therefore, management of the facility, may either be delayed until alternative financing is procured or the development of the project will be suspended or entirely canceled. If the project is self-financed by us, then financing is generally in place prior to the commencement of construction.
Under our construction and design management contracts, we generally agree to be responsible for overall project development and completion. We typically act as the primary developer on construction contracts for facilities and subcontract with bonded National and/or Regional Design Build Contractors. Where possible, we subcontract with construction companies that we have worked with previously. We make use of an in-house staff of architects and operational experts from various service disciplines (e.g. security, medical service, food service, programs and facility maintenance) as part of the team that participates from conceptual design through final construction of the project. The staff coordinates all aspects of the development with subcontractors and provides site-specific services.
When designing a facility, our architects use, with appropriate modifications, prototype designs we have used in developing prior projects. We believe that the use of these designs allows us to reduce the potential of cost overruns and construction delays, thus controlling costs both to construct and to manage the facility. Our facility designs also maintain security because they increase the area under direct surveillance by correctional officers and make use of additional electronic surveillance.
Competitive Strengths
Long-Term Relationships with High-Quality Government Customers
We have developed long-term relationships with our federal, state and other governmental customers, which we believe enhance our ability to win new contracts and retain existing business. We have provided secure management services to the United States Federal Government for 37 years, the State of California for 35 years, the State of Texas for approximately 36 years, various Australian state government entities for 32 years and the State of Florida for approximately 30 years. These customers accounted for approximately 77% of our consolidated revenues for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Recurring Revenue with Strong Cash Flow
Our revenue base has historically been derived from our long-term customer relationships. We have historically been able to expand our revenue base by continuing to reinvest our strong operating cash flow into expansionary projects and through strategic acquisitions that provide scale and further enhance our service offerings. Our consolidated revenues have grown to approximately $2.4 billion in 2023. We expect our operating cash flow to be well in excess of our anticipated annual maintenance capital expenditure needs, which would provide us significant flexibility for the repayment of indebtedness.
Sizeable International Business
Our international infrastructure, which leverages our operational excellence in the U.S., allows us to aggressively target foreign opportunities that our U.S. based competitors without overseas operations may have difficulty pursuing. We currently have international operations in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Our international services business generated approximately $193.9 million of revenues, representing approximately 8% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023. We believe we are well positioned to continue benefiting from foreign governments’ initiatives to enter into public-private partnerships for secure services.
Experienced, Proven Senior Management Team
Our Executive Chairman and founder, George C. Zoley, Ph.D., has provided senior leadership for our Company for 39 years and has established a track record of growth and profitability. Under his leadership and guidance, our annual consolidated revenues from operations have grown from $207.0 million in 1997 to approximately $2.4 billion in 2023. Dr. Zoley is one of the pioneers of the industry, having developed and opened what we believe to be one of the first public-private partnership secure services facilities in the U.S. in 1986. Our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Brian R. Evans has been with our Company for 23 years. Since joining the Company, Mr. Evans has overseen significant financial growth and shareholder value creation. During his tenure at GEO, Mr. Evans has been instrumental in successfully executing the Company’s strategy for three secondary public offerings of equity; the execution of multiple financing transactions; and the successful completion of major business transactions. Our top seven senior executives have an average tenure with our Company of approximately 11 years.
Business Strategies
Provide High Quality, Comprehensive Services and Cost Savings Throughout the Corrections Lifecycle
Our objective is to provide federal, state and local governmental agencies with a comprehensive offering of high quality, essential services at a lower cost than they themselves could achieve. We believe government agencies facing budgetary constraints will increasingly seek to outsource a greater proportion of their correctional needs to reliable providers that can enhance quality of service at a reduced cost. We believe our expanded and diversified service offerings uniquely position us to bundle our high-quality services and provide a comprehensive continuum of care for our clients, which we believe will lead to lower cost outcomes for our clients and larger scale business opportunities for us.
Maintain Disciplined Operating Approach
We refrain from pursuing contracts that we do not believe will yield attractive profit margins in relation to the associated operational risks. In addition, although we engage in facility development from time to time without having a corresponding management contract award in place, we endeavor to do so only where we have determined that there is medium to long-term client demand for a facility in that geographical area. We have also elected not to enter certain international markets with a history of economic and political instability. We believe that our strategy of emphasizing lower risk and higher profit opportunities helps us to consistently deliver strong operational performance, lower our costs and increase our overall profitability.
Pursue International Growth Opportunities
As a global provider of public-private partnership secure services, we are able to capitalize on opportunities to operate existing or new facilities on behalf of foreign governments. We have seen increased business development opportunities including opportunities to cross sell our expanded service offerings in recent years in the international markets in which we operate. We will continue to actively bid on new international projects in our current markets and in new markets that fit our target profile for profitability and operational risk.
Intellectual Property and Patents
We have numerous United States and foreign patents issued as well as a number of United States patents pending in the electronic monitoring space. We believe these patents protect our intellectual property rights and provide us with a competitive advantage by seeking to prevent our competitors from duplicating our technology and/or products in the electronic monitoring line of business. The remaining duration of our patents range from 18 months to 20 years.
Facilities and Day Reporting Centers
The following table summarizes certain information with respect to our U.S. and international secure services facilities and our reentry services facilities. The information in the table includes the facilities that we (or a subsidiary or joint venture of GEO) owned, operated under a management contract, had an agreement to provide services, had an award to manage or was in the process of constructing or expanding during the year ended December 31, 2023:
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Services — Western Region: | ||||||||
| Adelanto ICE Processing Center, Adelanto, CA | 1,940 | ICE | Federal Detention | Minimum/Medium | December 2019 | 5 years | Two, five year | Owned |
| Aurora/CE Processing Center Aurora, CO (2) | 1,532 | ICE / USMS | Federal Detention | All Levels | October 2021 | 1 year | Four, one-year | Owned |
| Central Arizona Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility Florence, AZ | 1,280 | AZ DOC | State Sex Offender Correctional | Minimum/Medium | December 2006 | 10 years | Two, Five-year | Managed |
| Central Valley Annex McFarland, CA (2) | 700 | ICE / USMS | Federal Detention | Medium | December 2019/October 2023 | 5 years/13 months | Two, Five-year/one-year | Owned |
| Desert View Annex Adelanto, CA | 750 | ICE | Federal Detention | Medium | December 2019 | 5 years | Two, Five-year | Owned |
| Facility Name & Location · Capacity(1) · PrimaryCustomer · FacilityType · SecurityLevel · Commencementof CurrentContract · BasePeriod · RenewalOptions · ManagedLeased/Owned | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro Detention Facility, CA | 512 | USMS | Federal Detention | Medium | December 2019 | 2 years | Three, Two-year options, plus nine-month | Managed | ||||||||
| Florence West Correctional and Rehabilitation Florence, AZ | 750 | AZ DOC | State Correctional | Minimum | October 2022 | 5 years | One, Five-year | Managed | ||||||||
| Golden State Annex McFarland, CA | 700 | ICE | Federal Detention | Medium | December 2019 | 5 years | Two, Five-year | Owned | ||||||||
| Guadalupe County Correctional Facility Santa Rosa, NM (3) | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Owned | ||||||||
| Kingman Correctional and Rehabilitation facility, Kingman, AZ | 3,400 | AZ DOC | State Correctional Facility | Minimum/Medium | January 2008 | 10 years | One, five-year plus one, two-year plus one, three year | Managed | ||||||||
| Lea County Correctional Facility Hobbs, NM (2) | 1,200 | NMCD - IGA | Local/State Correctional | Medium | January 1999 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| McFarland Female Community Reentry Facility McFarland, CA | 300 | Idle | Owned | |||||||||||||
| Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center Bakersfield, CA | 400 | ICE | State Correctional | Minimum | December 2019 | 5 Years | Two, Five year | Owned | ||||||||
| Northwest ICE Processing Center Tacoma, WA | 1,575 | ICE | Federal Detention | All Levels | September 2015 | 1 Year | Four, One-year plus five-year | Owned | ||||||||
| Phoenix West Correctional and Rehabilitation Phoenix, AZ | 500 | AZ DOC | State DWI Correctional | Minimum | July 2022 | 5 Years | None | Managed | ||||||||
| Western Region Detention Facility San Diego, CA | 770 | USMS | Federal Detention | Maximum | November 2017 | 1 Year, 10 Months | One, two-year , plus six-month, plus three-month, plus one fifteen-month, plus one twenty-five month, plus one twenty-three month | Leased | ||||||||
| Facility Name & Location · Capacity(1) · PrimaryCustomer · FacilityType · SecurityLevel · Commencementof CurrentContract · BasePeriod · RenewalOptions · ManagedLeased/Owned | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Services — Central Region: | ||||||||||||||||
| Big Spring Correctional Facility Big Spring, TX (5) | 1,732 | Idle | Owned | |||||||||||||
| Flightline Correctional Facility, TX (5) | 1,800 | Idle | Owned | |||||||||||||
| Brooks County Detention Center, TX (2) | 652 | USMS - IGA | Local & Federal Detention | Medium | March 2013 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| Coastal Bend Detention Center, TX (2) | 1,176 | USMS/Hidalgo County | Local & Federal Detention | Medium | July 2012 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| Eagle Pass Correctional Facility, Eagle Pass, TX | 661 | USMS - IGA | Federal Detention | Medium | October 2020 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| East Hidalgo Detention Center (2) | 1,346 | USMS - IGA | Local & Federal Detention | Medium | July 2012 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| Great Plains Correctional Facility Hinton, OK (5) | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Owned | ||||||||
| Joe Corley Processing Center Conroe, TX (2) | 1,517 | USMS / ICE | Local Correctional | Medium | July 2008/ September 2018 | Perpetual/5 Years | None /Five-year, plus one, 4 and one half month | Owned | ||||||||
| Karnes Detention Facility Karnes City, TX (2) | 679 | USMS - IGA | Local & Federal Detention | All Levels | February 1998 | Perpetual | None | Owned | ||||||||
| Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, TX (2) | 1,328 | ICE - IGA | Federal Detention | All Levels | December 2010 | 5 years | Two, Five-Year | Owned | ||||||||
| Kinney County Detention Center, TX (2) | 384 | USMS - IGA | Local & Federal Detention | Medium | September 2013 | Perpetual | None | Managed | ||||||||
| Lawton Correctional Facility Lawton, OK | 2,682 | OK DOC | State Correctional | Medium | July 2023 | 1 Year | None | Owned | ||||||||
| Montgomery Processing Center Conroe, TX | 1,314 | ICE | Local & Federal Detention | All levels | October 2018 | 10 months | Nine, One- year | Owned | ||||||||
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande Processing Center Laredo, TX | 1,900 | USMS | Federal Detention | Medium | October 2008 | 5 years | Three, Five-year | Owned |
| South Texas ICE Processing Center Pearsall, TX | 1,904 | ICE | Federal Detention | All Levels | August 2020 | 1 year | Nine, One-year | Owned |
| Val Verde County Detention Facility Del Rio, TX (2) | 1,407 | USMS - IGA | Local & Federal Detention | All Levels | January 2001 | Perpetual | None | Owned |
| Secure Services — Eastern Region: | ||||||||
| Alexandria Staging Facility Alexandria, LA (2) | 400 | ICE - IGA | Federal Detention | Minimum/Medium | November 2013 | Perpetual | None | Owned |
| Blackwater River Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility Milton, FL | 2,000 | FL DMS | State Correctional | Medium/close | October 2010 | 3 years | Unlimited, Two-year | Managed |
| Broward Transitional Center Deerfield Beach, FL | 700 | ICE | Federal Detention | Minimum | September 2021 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center Jena, LA (2) | 1,160 | ICE - IGA | Federal Detention | Minimum/Medium | November 2013 | Perpetual | None | Owned |
| D. Ray James Correctional Facility Folkston, GA | 1,900 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| Folkston ICE Processing Center (2) Folkston, GA | 1,118 | ICE - IGA | Federal Detention | Minimum | December 2016 | 1 year | Four, One-year, plus one, two-month, plus one, five year | Owned |
| Heritage Trail Correctional Facility Plainfield, IN | 1,066 | IN DOC | State Correctional | Minimum | March 2011 | 4 years | One, Four-year, plus one, one year, four months and two days, plus one year, plus five year | Managed |
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrenceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility Lawrenceville, VA | 1,536 | VA DOC | State Correctional | Medium | August 2018 | 5 years | Ten, One-year | Managed |
| Moshannon Valley Correctional Facility Philipsburg, PA | 1,876 | ICE-IGA | Federal Correctional | Medium | September 2021 | 5 year | None | Owned |
| Moore Haven Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility Moore Haven, FL | 985 | FL DMS | State Correctional | Minimum/ Medium | July 2021 | 3 years | Unlimited, Two-year | Managed |
| New Castle Correctional Facility New Castle, IN | 3,196 | IN DOC | State Correctional | All Levels | September 2005 | 4 years | One year, one month and 20 days, Nine year Seven month 14 days, plus one ninety-day, plus one nine-month, Three, five-year | Managed |
| North Lake Correctional Facility Baldwin, MI | 1,800 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, LA (2) | 1,094 | ICE-IGA | State Correctional | Medium | June 2015 | 5 years | One-month, plus fifty nine-months | Owned |
| Riverbend Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility Milledgeville, GA (5) | 1,500 | GA DOC | State Correctional | Medium | July 2010 | 1 year | Forty, One-year | Owned |
| Rivers Correctional Facility Winton, NC | 1,450 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility Lovejoy, GA | 768 | USMS | Federal Detention | Medium | February 2008 | 5 years | Three, five-year | Leased |
| South Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility South Bay, FL | 1,948 | FL DMS | State Correctional | Medium/Close | July 2009 | 3 years | Four, Two-year, plus one six-month, plus two, two-year | Managed |
| South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, LA(2) | 1,000 | ICE-IGA | State Correctional | Medium | June 2015 | 5 years | One-month, plus fifty nine-month s | Owned |
| Secure Services — Australia: | ||||||||
| Fulham Correctional Centre & Nalu Challenge Community Victoria, Australia | 922 | VIC DOJ | State Prison | Minimum/Medium | July 2012 | 4 years | Nineteen years, Four months | Managed |
| Junee Correctional Centre New South Wales, Australia | 1,279 | NSW | State Prison | Minimum/Medium | March 2014 | 5 years | One, six-year | Managed |
| Ravenhall Correctional Centre Melbourne, Australia | 1,300 | VIC DOJ | State Prison | Medium | November 2017 | 24 years plus 5 months | None | Managed |
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Services — South Africa: | ||||||||
| Kutama-Sinthumule Correctional Centre Limpopo Province, Republic of South Africa | 3,024 | RSA DCS | National Prison | Maximum | February 2002 | 25 years | None | Managed |
| Reentry Services: | ||||||||
| ADAPPT, PA | 64 | PA DOC | Community Corrections | Community | February 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility, AL | 722 | AL DOC | Community Corrections | Community | December 2021 | 2 years | Three, one-year | Owned |
| Arapahoe County Residential Center, CO | 202 | Arapahoe County | Community Corrections | Community | July 2023 | 1 year | None | Owned |
| Beaumont Transitional Treatment Center Beaumont, TX | 180 | TDCJ | Community Corrections | Community | September 2020 | 2 years | Three, One-year | Owned |
| Bronx Community reentry Center Bronx, NY | 172 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | July 2020 | 1 year | Nine, One-year | Leased |
| Casper Reentry Center, WY | 342 | BOP/Natrona | Community Corrections | Community | January 2022/July 2020 | 1 year/2 years | Four, one-year/One, two-year, plus one, one-year | Owned |
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | 142 | PA DOC | Community Corrections | Community | February 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Cheyenne Mountain Recovery Center, CO | 750 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| Coleman Hall, PA | 350 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| Community Alternatives of El Paso County, CO | 240 | El Paso County | Community Corrections | Community | June 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Community Alternatives of the Black Hills, SD | 68 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | October 2021 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Cordova Center Anchorage, AK | 296 | BOP / AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community | June 2019/July 2019 | 1 year/1 year | Nine, One-year renewals/Four, One-year | Owned |
| Delaney Hall, NJ | 1,200 | Idle | Owned | |||||
| El Monte Center El Monte, CA | 70 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | October 2019 | 1 year | Nine, One-year | Leased |
| Grossman Center Leavenworth, KS | 136 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | July 2019 | 1 year | Nine, One-year | Owned |
| Las Vegas Community Correctional Center Las Vegas, NV | 124 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | February 2021 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Leidel Comprehensive Sanction Center Houston, TX | 190 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | January 2021 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Hall, NJ | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Leased |
| Long Beach Community Reentry Center, CA | 112 | CDCR | Community Corrections | Community | November 2019 | 4 years, 8 months, | None | Leased |
| Marvin Gardens Center Los Angeles, CA | 60 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | December 2023 | 1 year | Four, One year | Leased |
| Mid Valley House Edinburg, TX | 128 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | December 2020 | 1 year | Nine, One year | Owned |
| Midtown Center Anchorage, AK | 32 | AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community Corrections | June 2019 | 1 year | Four, One year | Owned |
| New Mexico Mens Recovery Academy, NM | 124 | NM DOC | Community Corrections | Community Corrections | July 2023 | 4 years | None | Managed |
| New Mexico Womens Recovery Academy, NM | 60 | NM DOC | Community Corrections | Community Corrections | July 2023 | 4 years | None | Managed |
| Northstar Center Fairbanks, AK | 120 | AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community | July 2022 | 1 year | Three, One year | Leased |
| Oakland Center Oakland, CA | 69 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | February 2020 | 1 year | Nine, One year | Owned |
| Parkview Center Anchorage, AK | 112 | AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community | June 2020 | 1 year | Three, One year | Owned |
| Philadelphia Residential Reentry Center | 400 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | April 2019 | 1 year | Four, One year | Owned |
| Reality House Brownsville, TX | 94 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | July 2019 | 1 year | Four, One year | Owned |
| Facility Name & Location | Capacity(1) | PrimaryCustomer | FacilityType | SecurityLevel | Commencementof CurrentContract | BasePeriod | RenewalOptions | ManagedLeased/Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City Center Salt Lake City, UT | 115 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | June 2019 | 1 year | Nine, One-year | Owned |
| Scranton Facility, PA | 100 | PA DOC | Community Corrections | Community | February 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Leased |
| Seaside Center Nome, AK | 60 | AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community | June 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Southeast Texas Transitional Center Houston, TX | 500 | TDCJ | Community Corrections | Community | September 2020 | 2 years | Three One-year | Owned |
| The Harbor, NJ | 260 | NJ DOC | Community Corrections | Community | July 2022 | 2 years | None | Leased |
| Toler Hall, NJ | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Leased |
| Tully House, NJ | 344 | NJ DOC | Community Corrections | Community | July 2022 | 2 years | None | Owned |
| Taylor Street Center San Francisco, CA | 240 | BOP / CDCR | Community Corrections | Community | April 2021/July 2022 | 1 year/3 years | Four, One-year/Two, One-year | Owned |
| Tampa Residential Reentry Center Tampa, FL | 118 | BOP | Community Corrections | Community | September 2021 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Tundra Center Bethel, AK | 85 | AK DOC | Community Corrections | Community | June 2019 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Owned |
| Abraxas Academy Morgantown, PA · N/A · Third Party Tenant · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · Owned | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraxas I Marienville, PA · N/A · Third Party Tenant · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · Owned | |||||||||||
| Abraxas Ohio Shelby, OH · N/A · Third Party Tenant · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · N/A · Owned | |||||||||||
| Hector Garza Center San Antonio, TX | 139 | Idle | Owned | ||||||||
| Southern Peaks Regional Treatment Center Canon City, CO | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Owned | |||
| Southwood Interventions Chicago, IL | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Owned | |||
| Woodridge Interventions Woodridge, IL | N/A | Third Party Tenant | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Owned | |||
The following table summarizes certain information with respect to our reentry Day Reporting Centers, which we refer to as DRCs. The information in the table includes the DRCs that we (or a subsidiary or joint venture of GEO) operated under a management contract or had an agreement to provide services as of December 31, 2023:
| DRC Location | Number ofreportingcenters | Type ofCustomers | Commencementof currentcontract | Baseperiod | Renewaloptions | Manage only/lease |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado (4) | 3 | State, County, Local | Various,2021 – 2024 | 1 year | Varies | Lease |
| California | 30 | State, County | Various,2018 – 2026 | 3 years | One, One-year or Two One-Year | Lease or Manage only |
| New Jersey | 5 | State, County | 2021 | 4 years | One, One-year | Lease |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | State, County | Various,2018 – 2025 | 3 to 5 years | Varies | Lease |
| Illinois | 10 | State, County | 2018-2023 | 5 years | One, Five-year | Lease or Manageonly |
| Kansas | 1 | County | 2023 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Lease |
| Louisiana | 7 | State | 2021-2022 | 3 years | None | Lease |
| Tennessee | 15 | State | 2020 | 5 years | Five, One-year | Lease |
| Idaho | 7 | State | 2023 | 3 years | After base, may be renewed, extended or amended | Lease |
| Kentucky | 1 | County | 2020 | 1 year | Four, One-year | Lease |
Customer Legend:
| Abbreviation | Customer |
|---|---|
| AL DOC | Alabama Department of Corrections |
| AK DOC | Alaska Department of Corrections |
| AZ DOC | Arizona Department of Corrections |
| BOP | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| CDCR | California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation |
| FL DMS | Florida Department of Management Services |
| GA DOC | Georgia Department of Corrections |
| ICE | U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement |
| IN DOC | Indiana Department of Correction |
| IGA | Inter-governmental Agreement |
| NJ DOC | New Jersey Department of Corrections |
| NM DOC | New Mexico Department of Corrections |
| NSW | Commissioner of Corrective Services for New South Wales, Australia |
| OK DOC | Oklahoma Department of Corrections |
| PA DOC | Pennsylvania Department of Corrections |
| RSA DCS | Republic of South Africa Department of Correctional Services |
| TDCJ | Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| USMS | United States Marshals Service |
| VA DOC | Virginia Department of Corrections |
| VIC DOJ | Department of Justice of the State of Victoria, Australia |
(1)
Capacity as used in the table refers to operational capacity consisting of total beds for all facilities.
(2)
GEO provides services at these facilities through various Inter-Governmental Agreements, or IGAs, through the various counties and other jurisdictions.
(3)
The contract for this facility only required GEO to provide maintenance services and was terminated towards the end of 2022.
(4)
The Colorado Day Reporting Centers provide many of the same services as the full-service Day Reporting Centers, but rather than providing these services through comprehensive treatment plans dictated by the governing authority, these services are provided on a fee for service basis. Such services may be connected to government agency contracts and would be reimbursed by those agencies. Other services are offered directly to offenders allowing them to meet court-ordered requirements and are paid by the offender as the service is provided.
(5)
GEO treats these facilities as owned due to GEO’s ownership of the facilities and improvements and the long-term ground leases GEO has in place for these facilities.
Government Contracts — Terminations, Renewals and Competitive Re-bids
Generally, we may lose our facility management contracts due to one of three reasons: the termination by a government customer with or without cause at any time; the failure by a customer to renew a contract with us upon the expiration of the then current term; or our failure to win the right to continue to operate under a contract that has been competitively re-bid in a procurement process upon its termination or expiration. Our facility management contracts typically allow a contracting governmental agency to terminate a contract with or without cause at any time by giving us written notice ranging from 30 to 180 days. If government agencies were to use these provisions to terminate, or renegotiate the terms of their agreements with us, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. See “Risk Factors — “We are subject to the loss of our facility management contracts, due to terminations, non-renewals or competitive re-bids, which could adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity, including our ability to secure new facility management contracts from other government customers”.
Aside from our customers’ unilateral right to terminate our facility management contracts with them at any time for any reason, there are two points during the typical lifecycle of a contract which may result in the loss by us of a facility management contract with our customers. We refer to these points as contract “renewals” and contract “re-bids.” Many of our facility management contracts with our government customers have an initial fixed term and subsequent renewal rights for one or more additional periods at the unilateral option of the customer. We count each government customer’s right to renew a particular facility management contract for an additional period as a separate “renewal.” For example, a five-year initial fixed term contract with customer options to renew for five separate additional one-year periods would, if fully exercised, be counted as five separate renewals, with one renewal coming in each of the five years following the initial term. As of December 31, 2023, 30 of our facility management contracts representing approximately 16,000 beds are scheduled to expire on or before December 31, 2024, unless renewed by the customer at its sole option in certain cases, or unless renewed by mutual agreement in other cases. These contracts represented approximately 18% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023. We undertake substantial efforts to renew our facility management contracts. On January 26, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order directing the United States Attorney General not to renew DOJ contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities, as consistent with applicable law. Our average historical facility management contract renewal rate prior to President Biden’s executive order was approximately 90%. The executive order has led to several contract non-renewals as previously discussed. We cannot assure you that our customers will in fact exercise their renewal options under existing contracts. In addition, in connection with contract renewals, either we or the contracting government agency have typically requested changes or adjustments to contractual terms. As a result, contract renewals may be made on terms that are more or less favorable to us than those in existence prior to the renewals.
We define competitive re-bids as contracts currently under our management which we believe, based on our experience with the customer and the facility involved, will be re-bid to us and other potential service providers in a competitive procurement process upon the expiration or termination of our contract, assuming all renewal options are exercised. Our determination of which contracts we believe will be competitively re-bid may in some cases be subjective and judgmental, based largely on our knowledge of the dynamics involving a particular contract, the customer and the facility involved. Competitive re-bids may result from the expiration of the term of a contract, including the initial fixed term plus any renewal periods, or the early termination of a contract by a customer. Competitive re-bids are often required by applicable federal or state procurement laws periodically in order to encourage competitive pricing and other terms for the government customer. Potential bidders in competitive re-bid situations include us, other private operators and other government entities. While we are pleased with our historical win rate on competitive re-bids and are committed to continuing to bid competitively on appropriate future competitive re-bid opportunities, we cannot in fact assure you that we will prevail in future competitive re-bid situations. Also, we cannot assure you that any competitive re-bids we win will be on terms more favorable to us than those in existence with respect to the expiring contract.
As of December 31, 2023, 26 of our facility management contracts may be subject to competitive re-bid in 2024. These contracts in the aggregate represented approximately 9% and approximately $200 million of our 2023 consolidated revenues. The following table sets forth the number of facility management contracts that we currently believe will be subject to competitive re-bid in each of the next five years and thereafter, and the total number of beds relating to those potential competitive re-bid situations during each period:
| Year | Re-bid | TotalNumber ofBeds up forRe-bid |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 26 | 7,398 |
| 2025 | 18 | 8,553 |
| 2026 | 14 | 11,955 |
| 2027 | 10 | 5,653 |
| 2028 | 8 | 8,104 |
| Thereafter | 18 | 11,703 |
| Total | 94 | 53,366 |
Competition
We compete primarily on the basis of the quality and range of services we offer; our experience domestically and internationally in the design, construction, and management of public-private partnerships for secure service facilities; our reputation; and our pricing. We compete directly with the public sector, where governmental agencies responsible for the operation of secure services, processing services, community-based services and reentry facilities are often seeking to retain projects that might otherwise become a public-private partnership. In the private sector, our U.S. Secure Services and International Services business segments compete with a number of companies, including, but not limited to: Core Civic; Management and Training Corporation; Emerald Companies; LaSalle Southwest Corrections; Group 4 Securicor; Sodexo Justice Services (formerly Kaylx); and Serco. Our Reentry Services and Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services business segments compete with a number of different small-to-medium sized companies, reflecting the highly fragmented nature of the community-based services industry. BI’s electronic monitoring business competes with a number of companies, including, but not limited to: G4 Justice Services, LLC and 3M Electronic Monitoring, a 3M Company. Some of our competitors are larger and have more resources than we do. We also compete in some markets with small local companies that may have a better knowledge of the local conditions and may be better able to gain political and public acceptance.
Human Capital Resources
The Company’s key human capital management objectives are to attract, retain and develop the highest quality talent. To support these objectives, the Company’s human resources programs are designed to develop talent to prepare them for critical roles and leadership positions for the future; reward and support employees through competitive pay, benefit, and perquisite programs; enhance the Company’s culture through efforts aimed at making the workplace more engaging and inclusive; acquire talent and facilitate internal talent mobility to create a high-performing, diverse workforce; and evolve and invest in technology, tools, and resources to enable employees at work.
At December 31, 2023, we had approximately 16,400 full-time employees. Of our full-time employees, approximately 400 were employed at our corporate headquarters and regional offices and approximately 16,000 were employed at facilities and international offices. We employ personnel in positions of management, administrative and clerical, security, educational services, human resource services, health services and general maintenance at our various locations.
Approximately 6,600 and 1,500 employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements in the United States and at international offices, respectively. GEO welcomes the participation of labor unions in our facilities and respects the rights of individual employees to choose whether or not to join labor organizations. We actively participate in the collective bargaining process, negotiate in good faith and maintain excellent working relationships with each of the unions representing our employees. As a result, over the years, GEO has not experienced any significant or major labor actions, such as strikes or work stoppages.
Training
GEO has a robust training program for staff at all levels of the organization. Our training of managerial, administrative, and security staff is based on the standards set by the American Correctional Association. Training includes classroom learning, practical exercises, course examinations, and on-the-job training. GEO’s corporate policy also mandates that every new employee receive orientation training prior to undertaking any assignments
Under the laws applicable to most of our operations, and internal company policies, our correctional officers are required to complete a minimum amount of training. We generally require at least 40 hours of pre-service training before an employee is allowed to assume their duties plus an additional 120 hours of training during their first year of employment in our domestic facilities, consistent with ACA standards and/or applicable state laws. In addition to the usual 160 hours of training in the first year, most states require 40 or 80 hours of on-the-job training. Florida law requires that correctional officers receive 520 hours of training. We believe that our training programs meet or exceed all applicable requirements.
Our training program for domestic facilities typically begins with approximately 40 hours of instruction regarding our policies, operational procedures and management philosophy. Training continues with an additional 120 hours of instruction covering legal issues, rights of individuals within our care, techniques of communication and supervision, interpersonal skills and job training relating to the particular position to be held. Each of our employees who has contact with individuals within our care receives a minimum of 40 hours of additional training each year, and each manager receives at least 24 hours of training each year.
At least 160 hours of training are required for our employees in Australia and South Africa before such employees are allowed to work in positions that will bring them into contact with individuals within our care. Our employees in Australia and South Africa receive a minimum of 40 hours of refresher training each year
With respect to BI and the Intensive Supervision and Appearance Program (“ISAP”) services contract, new employees are required to complete training requirements as outlined in the contract within 14 days of hire and prior to being assigned autonomous ISAP related duties. These employees receive 25 hours of refresher training annually thereafter. Program managers for our ISAP contract must receive 24 hours of additional initial training. BI’s monitoring services maintains its own comprehensive certification and training program for all monitoring service specialists. We require all new personnel hired for a position in monitoring operations to complete a seven-week training program. Successful completion of our training program and a final certification is required of all of our personnel performing monitoring operations. We require that certification is achieved prior to being permitted to work independently in the call center.
Health, wellness and employee resources
GEO’s benefit offerings are designed to meet the varied and evolving needs of a diverse workforce across businesses and geographies. GEO offers a comprehensive employee benefits program that is competitive for each of the various locations in which we operate across the United States which are designed to develop, attract and retain personnel. The variety of our benefit offerings is designed to provide individual employees with the flexibility to choose coverage options and benefits that best meet their needs and address their priorities.
Career Growth and Development
GEO employees and their family members (parent, spouse and child) are eligible to further pursue their educational goals by receiving reduced tuition rates on a variety of accredited on-line degree programs in business, education, healthcare and other disciplines provided at 14 different higher education institutions. A tuition reimbursement program is also available for GEO employees pursuing their education as they work to develop their skills and enhance their job performance. Tuition reimbursement is provided to eligible employees for courses offered by accredited colleges, universities, and secretarial and trade schools. Separately, GEO’s subsidiary, BI, offers an education assistance program to its full-time employees with at least one year of service. Employees who enroll in the program are eligible to receive up to $3,500 a year in tuition reimbursement.
Diversity and Inclusion
In all areas of our business, GEO strives to achieve wider racial and ethnic diversity. Across our organization, under-represented minorities of the United States of America – including African Americans, Hispanic and Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Native American/Alaskan – account for approximately 68% of our U.S. employees. Minorities comprise 43% of GEO’s corporate workforce, 73% of our facility security staff, and 32% of those serving in management positions as directors or above.
Additionally, women comprise an equal portion of GEO’s U.S. workforce and play a significant role in our leadership and management. Women are also involved at the highest levels of our organization. Of the seven members of GEO’s Board of Directors in 2023, two are women.
Business Regulations and Legal Considerations
Many governmental agencies are required to enter into a competitive bidding procedure before awarding contracts for products or services. The laws of certain jurisdictions may also require us to award subcontracts on a competitive basis or to subcontract or partner with businesses owned by women or members of minority groups.
Certain states, such as Florida, deem correctional officers to be peace officers and require our personnel to be licensed and subject to background investigation. State law also typically requires correctional officers to meet certain training standards.
The failure to comply with any applicable laws, rules or regulations or the loss of any required license could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, our current and future operations may be subject to additional regulations as a result of, among other factors, new statutes and regulations and changes in the manner in which existing statutes and regulations are or may be interpreted or applied. Any such additional regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not know of any existing environmental law, regulation nor condition that reasonably would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, capital expenditures or operating results. However, future changes to environmental laws and regulations may impact our operations and could result in increased costs.
Insurance
The nature of our business exposes us to various types of third-party legal claims, including, but not limited to, civil rights claims relating to conditions of confinement and/or mistreatment, sexual misconduct claims brought by individuals within our care, medical malpractice claims, product liability claims, intellectual property infringement claims, claims relating to employment matters (including, but not limited to, employment discrimination claims, union grievances and wage and hour claims), property loss claims, environmental claims, automobile liability claims, contractual claims and claims for personal injury or other damages resulting from contact with our facilities, programs, electronic monitoring products, personnel or individuals within our care, including damages arising from an escape of an individual in our care or from a disturbance or riot at a facility. In addition, our management contracts generally require us to indemnify the governmental agency against any damages to which the governmental agency may be subject in connection with such claims or litigation. We maintain a broad program of insurance coverage for these general types of claims, except for claims relating to employment matters, for which we carry no insurance. There can be no assurance that our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover all claims to which we may be exposed. It is our general practice to bring merged or acquired companies into our corporate master policies in order to take advantage of certain economies of scale.
On October 1, 2021, GEO formed a wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary, Florina Insurance Company, Inc. (“Florina”), to enhance our risk financing strategies. Florina is incorporated in the state of Vermont and is licensed and regulated by the state of Vermont, including with respect to its insurance programs, levels of liquidity and other requirements. GEO began procuring insurance policies to cover deductibles for workers’ compensation, general liability, automobile liability, medical professional liability and directors' and officers’ liability as well as procuring insurance policies for its excess liability, directors’ and officers’ excess liability and excess medical professional liability through Florina effective October 1, 2021. Florina holds cash and investments in order to meet solvency requirements and meet financial obligations as presented, including an investment portfolio of marketable fixed income and equity securities.
We currently maintain a general liability policy and excess liability policies with total limits of $75.0 million per occurrence and $95.0 million total general liability annual aggregate limits covering the operations of U.S. Secure Services, Reentry Services and Electronic and Supervision Services. We have an occurrence based insurance program with a specific loss limit of $40.0 million per occurrence and in the aggregate related to medical professional liability claims arising out of correctional healthcare services. We are uninsured for any claims in excess of these limits. We also maintain insurance to cover property and other casualty risks including, workers’ compensation, environmental liability, cybersecurity liability and automobile liability.
For most casualty insurance policies, we carry substantial deductibles or self-insured retentions of $4.0 million per occurrence for general liability and $5 million per occurrence for medical professional liability, $2.0 million per occurrence for workers’ compensation, $2.5 million per occurrence for directors' and officers’ liability and $1.0 million per occurrence for automobile liability. In addition, certain of our facilities located in Florida and other high-risk hurricane areas carry substantial windstorm deductibles. Since hurricanes are considered unpredictable future events, no reserves have been established to pre-fund for potential windstorm damage. Limited commercial availability of certain types of insurance relating to windstorm exposure in coastal areas and earthquake exposure mainly in California and the Pacific Northwest may prevent us from insuring some of its facilities to full replacement value.
With respect to operations in South Africa and Australia, we utilize a combination of locally-procured insurance and global policies to meet contractual insurance requirements and protect us.
Of the insurance policies discussed above, our most significant insurance reserves relate to workers’ compensation, general liability and auto claims. These reserves, which include Florina’s reserves and GEO’s legacy reserves, are undiscounted and were $65.6 million and $79.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and are included in Accrued Expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. We use statistical and actuarial methods to estimate amounts for claims that have been reported but not paid and claims incurred but not reported. In applying these methods and assessing their results, we consider such factors as historical frequency and severity of claims at each of our facilities, claim development, payment patterns and changes in the nature of our business, among other factors. Such factors are analyzed for each of our business segments. Our estimates may be impacted by such factors as increases in the market price for medical services and unpredictability of the size of jury awards. We also may experience variability between our estimates and the actual settlement due to limitations inherent in the estimation process, including our ability to estimate costs of processing and settling claims in a timely manner as well as our ability to accurately estimate our exposure at the onset of a claim. Because we have high deductible insurance policies, the amount of our insurance expense is dependent on our ability to control our claims experience. If actual losses related to insurance claims significantly differ from our estimates, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely impacted.
International Operations
Our international operations for fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021 consisted of the operations of our wholly-owned Australian subsidiary and South African Custodial Management Pty. Limited which we refer to as SACM and our consolidated joint venture in South Africa, which we refer to as SACS. In Australia, our wholly owned subsidiary, GEO Australia, currently manages three facilities. We operate one facility in South Africa through SACM. We also provide secure transportation services through our joint venture GEOAmey. See Item 7 for more discussion related to the results of our international operations. Financial information about our operations in different geographic regions appears in Note-14 Business Segments and Geographic Information in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.
Business Concentration
Except for the major customers noted in the following table, no other single customer made up greater than 10% of our consolidated revenues for these years.
| Customer | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various agencies of the U.S. Federal Government: | 63% | 64% | 58% |
Concentration of credit risk related to the major customer above for accounts receivable is as follows:
| Customer | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Various agencies of the U.S Federal Government: | 54% | 60% |
The concentrations above relate primarily to the Company's U.S. Secure Services and its Electronic Monitoring Supervision segments.
In addition, our ISAP contract accounted for 14%, 17% and 8% of our consolidated revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Available Information
Additional information about us can be found atwww.geogroup.com. We make available on our website, free of charge, access to our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, our annual proxy statement on Schedule 14A and amendments to those materials filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically submit such materials to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In addition, the SEC makes available on its website, free of charge, reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including GEO. The SEC’s website is located at http://www.sec.gov. Information provided on our website or on the SEC’s website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.