GEO News

On January 8, 2018, The GEO Group (GEO) was proud to accept the “Innovation in Corrections” Award at the American Correctional Association (ACA) Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida. This prestigious award was presented to Dr. George C. Zoley, GEO’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder by Victoria C. Myers, Chair of ACA's Correctional Awards Committee.

ACA’s Correctional Awards Committee selected the “GEO Continuum of Care” program at the Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Florida as the ACA 2018 “Innovation in Corrections” awardee. The award was based on an independent nomination of the “GEO Continuum of Care” program, which was submitted by Dr. John Smykla, Director and Professor of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

GEO launched the “GEO Continuum of Care” at Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility as a pilot program in late 2015, and over the course of two years (2016 and 2017), the Facility achieved several important milestones:

• Completed 886,170 hours of rehabilitation programming

• Awarded 553 substance abuse treatment program completions

• Awarded 1,787 behavioral program completions

• Awarded 206 faith and character program completions

• Awarded 256 vocational certifications

• Awarded 117 GEDs or high school equivalency degrees

• Completed 8,382 individual cognitive behavioral treatment sessions

 • Achieved a 42% reduction in grievances filed and a 45% reduction in major disciplinary reports

 • Assisted 617 released participants upon return to their community

• Provided $413,363 to support released individuals with needs in the community

The “GEO Continuum of Care” program at Graceville Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility has always been and continues to be entirely funded by The GEO Group, above and beyond its contractual requirements with the State of Florida. Following the success experienced at the Graceville Facility, the Florida Legislature allocated funding to expand the “GEO Continuum of Care” to the additional four Florida correctional facilities currently operated by GEO: Blackwater River Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, South Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, Moore Haven Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, and Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility.

 Additionally, “GEO Continuum of Care” programs have been implemented in state correctional facilities operated by GEO in California, Arizona, Indiana, New Mexico, Virginia, and Georgia, as well as at the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Rivers Correctional Institution, which is owned and operated by GEO in North Carolina. On a combined basis, “GEO Continuum of Care” programs are positively impacting the lives of more than 16,000 inmates on a daily basis at 15 facilities in the United States.

 The goal of GEO’s in-custody rehabilitation programming is to facilitate a successful transition for individuals to daily life in their communities. GEO’s evidence-based treatment begins with individualized risks and needs assessments and offers several unique programs:

 • Enhanced academic programming with the use of Smart-Board technology for interactive learning in every classroom

 • Enhanced vocational training through nationally certified programs focused on future job and career opportunities

 • Industry-leading Cognitive Behavioral and Substance Abuse Treatment based on nationally recognized curricula

• Faith and character based services with an emphasis on mentoring and modified therapeutic community settings

The “GEO Continuum of Care” integrates these enhanced in-custody programs with post-release support services, which entail active case managers and 24-hour support to assist individuals with the most crucial needs upon their release back into the community, including housing, employment, and transportation assistance.

At the Corporate level, GEO doubled its annual company commitment from $5 million in 2016 to $10 million in 2017 to expand its “GEO Continuum of Care” Division, and over the last two years, the program has achieved significant milestones:

• Completed more than 11.1 million hours of rehabilitation programming through a diverse number of programs

• Averaged approximately 12,000 daily participants in academic programs

• Awarded 4,464 GEDs or high school equivalency degrees

• Averaged more than 24,000 daily participants in vocational training programs

• Awarded 15,488 vocational training certifications

• Averaged approximately 4,000 daily participants in substance abuse treatment programs

• Awarded 16,632 substance abuse program completions

Its success in launching and implementing “GEO Continuum of Care” programs across the United States positioned GEO to develop and activate the 1,300-bed Ravenhall Correctional Centre in the State of Victoria, Australia. The $700 million Ravenhall project, which commenced operations in November 2017, will provide unprecedented levels of in-custody rehabilitation and post-release programs aimed at reducing recidivism rates and helping offenders reintegrate into society through the “GEO Continuum of Care” including:

• More than 110 dedicated in-custody rehabilitation and programs staff and $30 million in annual funding for in-prison and post-release programs

 • Intensive evidence-based rehabilitation and treatment programs in group and individualized settings

• Extensive partnerships with community-based service providers to enhance the delivery of rehabilitation and post-release programming