Geo Group Inc..
GEO.US | Public order and safety activities
The GEO Group, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership, lease, and management of correctional, detention, and reentry facilities. It operates primarily in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The company's facilities include prisons,...Show More
Better Health for All
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GEO Group's core business of operating correctional and detention facilities has severe negative health impacts, with 100% of its revenue derived from these activities. The company has a catastrophic safety record, including multiple inmate deaths in 2023 (three at one facility, including a fentanyl overdose and an assault)
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and two COVID-19 deaths in 2020 at another facility.
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Allegations of inhumane conditions, understaffing, inadequate medical care, physical and sexual abuse, and overcrowding are widespread.
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During a COVID-19 outbreak, inmates lacked access to face masks for weeks,
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and residents were left in a flooded facility during Hurricane Harvey.
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Officials were criticized for delayed and incomplete disclosure of inmate deaths,
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and guards falsified records related to prisoner deaths.
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The company's operations also involve forced labor for as little as 50 cents per day,
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creating major health-harming externalities. While GEO Group provided 213,041 mental health visits in 2023,
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a high number of prisoners suffer from mental illness (878-919 at one facility).
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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No evidence available to assess Geo Group Inc. on Fair Money & Economic Opportunity.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
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No evidence available to assess Geo Group Inc. on Fair Pay & Worker Respect.
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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GEO Group faced a $23 million judgment in 2023 for failing to pay minimum wage in Washington state.
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This judgment is linked to allegations of forced labor, where detainees were reportedly threatened with solitary confinement for refusing to work for minimal or no wages.
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This constitutes a substantiated major labor violation within the last three years.
Honest & Fair Business
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GEO Group has a dedicated 24/7 whistleblower hotline managed by a third-party provider
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. However, the provided articles do not offer evidence of independent investigation processes for reports, nor do they provide details on policy strength or statistics. No specific quantitative data is available for regulatory fines, transparency index scores, financial restatements, audit coverage percentage, ESG controversy scores, complaint resolution times, board conflict-free percentage, the strength and enforcement of anti-corruption policies, or the extent of independent verification of ethical claims.
Kind to Animals
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No specific, concrete data points relevant to the 'Kind to Animals' ethical value were found in the provided articles for any of the KPIs. All articles consistently state 'No data' or explicitly mention the absence of information for metrics such as cruelty-free certifications, alternative testing methods, humane certifications for animal operations, wildlife conservation impact, ethical ingredient substitutions, supplier audits, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policies or volume, R&D investment in animal-free technologies, animal-free R&D collaboration, and public policy engagement on animal welfare.
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While one article mentions 'animal care practices at the facility, including enrichment for animals,' this evidence refers to animal therapy within correctional facilities and does not align with the specific scope of the 'animal_agriculture_ethics' KPI, which focuses on animal agriculture practices.
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No War, No Weapons
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The company's core business is the ownership, lease, and management of correctional, detention, and reentry facilities, not defense-related activities. Therefore, the KPI for board oversight of defense-related business activities is not applicable. The Board and Human Rights Committee annually oversee the implementation and effectiveness of the company's human rights policy.
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Planet-Friendly Business
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No evidence available to assess Geo Group Inc. on Planet-Friendly Business.
Respect for Cultures & Communities
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In 2023, the company recruited over 90% of its workforce from local communities.
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Safe & Smart Tech
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In 2020, the company experienced a ransomware attack discovered on August 19
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and disclosed on November 3.
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This incident impacted a portion of its IT systems,
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3 facilities,
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and 2 corporate servers,
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potentially compromising limited personally identifiable and protected health information, including names, addresses, social security numbers, and medical information.
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In response, an investigation was launched,
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legal counsel engaged,
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and customers and law enforcement notified.
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Containment and remediation measures were implemented,
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critical operating data recovered,
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and no fraud or misuse of information was reported.
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The company states it complies with laws, including California privacy laws,
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and notified employees as required by state and federal law following the breach.
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Users can review, change, access, and request deletion of their personal information via website account profiles or email.
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The company retains data until no longer needed, unless legally required.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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The company has faced multiple regulatory issues concerning hazardous waste. In 2020, ICE ordered the company to cease using HDQ Neutral disinfectant.
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The EPA also issued a warning letter and cited the company in March 2021 for improper use of HDQ Neutral.
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Furthermore, the EPA filed a legal complaint in 2022 and 2023 for alleged misuse of another disinfectant, Halt, although this complaint was later withdrawn.
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A separate civil lawsuit is pending from detainees alleging harm from disinfectant use.
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These events indicate poor hazardous waste management and recurring waste disposal violations.