Facts

GEO is occasionally the subject of accusations and misapprehensions about privatised correctional facilities. These are often the result of a lack of knowledge about the corrections industry, privatisation in general and GEO specifically. The information below, using our NSW operations as an example, dispels some common myths about private correctional facilities and provides factual information about the corrections industry and GEO as a corporate citizen.

Operational costs — Private prisons are less expensive to operate than public prisons. For example, based on 2009 figures, the costs per prisoner per day at Junee Correctional Centre amount to $124.29 against the NSW statewide average for minimum and medium security public prisons of $184.03. That is a substantial difference of $60 per day per prisoner.

Safety and security — it is often suggested that private prisons can only make money by cutting corners, compromising safety and security and thereby putting public safety at risk. This is incorrect. Data from the NSW Department of Corrective Services shows Junee Correctional Centre has outperformed the department’s prisons for more than 10 years on all key measures of security and public safety.

Rehabilitation programs — another misapprehension is that private prisons save money by cutting rehabilitation programs. GEO’s clients set specific targets in this area and The GEO Group Australia has a proud record of achieving 100 per cent of the targets set in all prisoner rehabilitation, education and pre-release programs. GEO believes that all offenders can be rehabilitated and we encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities we offer through our quality programs.

Employee welfare — We are committed to establishing and maintaining a workplace that is safe, secure and humane, not only for our trained and experienced professionals, but also for the offenders entrusted in our care. GEO works diligently to ensure its employees are happy and content in their roles. A reflection of this is the fact that average sick leave for GEO employees in Australia is half the figure recorded by public sector prisons.

Accountability — Private prisons are highly accountable. In fact, private prisons have more measures in place and report to government more thoroughly than public prisons because of their contractual obligations. For example, Junee Correctional Centre has more than 165 performance indicators monitored monthly. Additionally, the centre is under close scrutiny from the Ombudsman and Auditor General.

Prisoner selection — Another misapprehension is that private prisons choose the prisoners they take — only managing ‘easier prisoners’. GEO has not refused inmates and contractually is not allowed to refuse inmates. While individual facilities have specific classifications, GEO houses minimum, medium, remand and maximum security prisoners in Australia.

Community involvement — GEO is proud of the close relationships it develops with the communities in which it operates correctional facilities. It achieves this, in part, by forming a community consultative committee at each centre. On average, GEO invests over $25 million annually in each centre’s local economy through wages, payments to local contractors, rates, reparative work undertaken by inmates and charitable contributions.