Marshals Service To House Inmates at Geo Group Facility in Georgia

LOVEJOY, Ga. — Federal authorities signed a 20-year contract with Geo Group to house more than 700 inmates at a former Georgia county jail.

Under the terms of the agreement, which is for an initial five-year period with three five-year extension options, the Florida-based Geo Group will house up to 768 federal inmates of all security classifications for the U.S. Marshals Service at the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility.

The facility’s central regional location and proximity to the airport will ease transportation issues for the Marshals Service in the southeast region, officials say.

The former 576-bed Clayton County Jail, which was closed due to substandard conditions, is undergoing an $8 million renovation and expansion project designed to bring the facility up to standard and increase its capacity by 192 beds, officials say.

Geo pays approximately $200,000 to lease the facility from Clayton County. Leasepayments will increase over the term of the 20-year contract with the county, which includes two five-year extension options, officials say.

At the rated capacity of 768 beds, and guaranteed occupancy rate of 80 percent, operations at the facility are projected to generate approximately $20 million in annual revenue for Geo, officials say.

Construction work at the Deyton Detention Facility is scheduled for completion by end of 2008.

In other news, commissioners in Bexar County, Texas, approved the extension of Geo Group’s contract to operate the 688-bed Central Texas Detention Facility in San Antonio.
Geo has managed the facility, which houses inmates for the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, since 1988. The private prison operator can now enter formalized negotiations to extend its existing contract for a further five years, officials say.