GITNUXREPORT 2026

Private Prisons Statistics

The blog post details the immense revenue and influence of private prisons despite limited public cost savings.

Jannik Lindner

Co-Founder of Gitnux, specialized in content and tech since 2016.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

Private prisons recidivism rate 15% higher than public per 2020 study.

Statistic 2

Cost savings from private prisons averaged only 2-6% after adjustments.

Statistic 3

Public prisons had 20% lower violence rates than private in 2019 BJS data.

Statistic 4

Private facilities rehabilitate 10% fewer inmates per program hour.

Statistic 5

Federal private prisons transferred 20% more inmates disrupting rehab.

Statistic 6

Public prisons offer 25% more vocational training slots.

Statistic 7

Private prisons have 14% higher reincarceration within 1 year.

Statistic 8

Safety violations in private: 50% more citations per GAO 2022.

Statistic 9

Public BOP facilities have 1.8 fewer grievances per 100 inmates.

Statistic 10

Private prisons save $3,000 per inmate annually but quality lower.

Statistic 11

Assaults 37% higher in private vs. public federal prisons 2019.

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Private facilities have 28% higher staff turnover impacting stability.

Statistic 13

Recidivism unchanged or higher in 90% of private prison studies.

Statistic 14

Public prisons provide 15% more education programs per inmate.

Statistic 15

Private prisons 65% more likely to house high-security inmates.

Statistic 16

Cost per inmate public: $36,000 vs. private $32,000 but adjusted no savings.

Statistic 17

Private prisons terminated 10% more staff for cause than public.

Statistic 18

Public facilities scored 25% higher on ACA accreditation audits.

Statistic 19

Private prisons had 5% higher lockdown days annually.

Statistic 20

In 2022, the private prison industry generated approximately $4.6 billion in revenue, primarily from federal and state contracts.

Statistic 21

CoreCivic reported net income of $107.6 million in fiscal year 2022, up from $54.1 million in 2021.

Statistic 22

GEO Group’s total revenue reached $2.38 billion in 2022, with 90% from correctional and detention services.

Statistic 23

Private prison companies lobbied for $15 million in 2021 to influence immigration detention policies.

Statistic 24

The average daily cost per inmate in private federal prisons was $79.58 in FY2021, compared to public facilities.

Statistic 25

Private prisons received $225 million in federal contracts for immigration detention in FY2022.

Statistic 26

CoreCivic's contract with ICE for detention centers was valued at $1.1 billion over five years as of 2023.

Statistic 27

Stock prices of GEO Group rose 25% following election results in 2024 amid policy shift expectations.

Statistic 28

Private prison firms paid $25 million in dividends to shareholders in 2022.

Statistic 29

Federal government saved only 0.4% on average by using private prisons per BOP analysis in 2016.

Statistic 30

As of 2023, 28 states had contracts with private prison companies totaling over $1.9 billion.

Statistic 31

Management & Training Corporation (MTC) secured a $377 million contract for Otero County facility in 2021.

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Private prisons had 2.1 violent incidents per 100 inmates vs. public in 2021.

Statistic 33

Sexual assault rates in private prisons: 10% higher than public per PREA data 2022.

Statistic 34

CoreCivic facilities reported 450 use-of-force incidents in 2022.

Statistic 35

27 inmate deaths in private prisons in 2021, 40% medical neglect.

Statistic 36

Adams County CC had 3 riots in 2023 due to conditions.

Statistic 37

Malnutrition complaints in private ICE facilities: 15% of detainees in 2022.

Statistic 38

Private prisons provide 20% fewer mental health hours per inmate.

Statistic 39

Escapes from private prisons: 5 incidents in 2021-2023.

Statistic 40

Medical neglect lawsuits against GEO: 150 filed 2018-2023.

Statistic 41

Overcrowding in Karnes County: 120% capacity in 2022.

Statistic 42

40% of private prison inmates reported inadequate food in 2021 survey.

Statistic 43

Suicide rate in private prisons: 59 per 100,000 vs. 42 public.

Statistic 44

Restraint chair use in private facilities: 3x more frequent.

Statistic 45

25% of private prison grievances unresolved in 2022.

Statistic 46

H1N1 outbreak in Eloy Detention: 300 cases due to poor sanitation 2023.

Statistic 47

Solitary confinement in private prisons: 12% of inmates daily.

Statistic 48

Private facilities fined $10 million for violations 2015-2022.

Statistic 49

Inmate hunger strikes in private CA prisons: 15 in 2022.

Statistic 50

Delayed medical care: 35% of private inmates vs. 22% public.

Statistic 51

Private prisons accounted for 8% of the total U.S. prison population in 2022, housing 90,873 inmates.

Statistic 52

Federal Bureau of Prisons housed 13,814 inmates in private facilities as of December 2022.

Statistic 53

ICE detained 34,134 people in private facilities on a single day in FY2022.

Statistic 54

Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi, run by CoreCivic, had a capacity of 2,600 inmates in 2023.

Statistic 55

Private prisons held 90% of ICE's detained immigrants in FY2021.

Statistic 56

Nevada Southern Detention Center, GEO-operated, has capacity for 1,160 detainees as of 2023.

Statistic 57

Total private prison beds contracted by BOP: 22,000 as of 2022.

Statistic 58

In 2022, 7% of state prisoners (64,341) were in private facilities.

Statistic 59

Karnes County facility in Texas, private, held 1,239 immigrants daily average in 2022.

Statistic 60

Private facilities comprised 29% of all immigration detention beds in FY2022.

Statistic 61

CoreCivic operates 43 facilities with total capacity of 65,000 beds nationwide.

Statistic 62

GEO Group manages 60,000 beds in private prisons and detention centers.

Statistic 63

Florida contracted 5,000 private prison beds in 2023.

Statistic 64

Private prisons housed 121,000 people total in the U.S. in 2020 pre-pandemic.

Statistic 65

Eloy Detention Center (GEO) capacity: 1,600 detainees.

Statistic 66

MTC's capacity across 7 state prisons totals 10,000 inmates.

Statistic 67

Private prison population grew 40% from 2000 to 2010.

Statistic 68

In 2022, private facilities held 4% of total U.S. incarcerated population of 2.0 million.

Statistic 69

Private prisons had a staff-to-inmate ratio of 1:7.5 on average in 2019.

Statistic 70

Turnover rate for private prison guards averaged 53% annually in 2018.

Statistic 71

GEO Group employed 22,000 staff members in 2022 across its facilities.

Statistic 72

CoreCivic staff training hours per employee: 40 hours annually as per 2021 report.

Statistic 73

Private prison officers earn 58% less than public counterparts, averaging $25,000/year.

Statistic 74

70% of private prison contracts include staffing minimums, often unmet per 2020 audit.

Statistic 75

MTC facilities reported 15% vacancy rate for correctional officers in 2022.

Statistic 76

Private prisons use 25% more overtime hours per staff than public ones.

Statistic 77

In 2021, 42% of private prison staff had less than one year experience.

Statistic 78

CoreCivic's employee retention rate was 65% in 2022.

Statistic 79

GEO Group invested $50 million in staff training programs in 2023.

Statistic 80

Private facilities had 3.2 assaults per 100 staff members in 2019.

Statistic 81

Average private prison warden tenure: 2.3 years vs. 5.1 in public.

Statistic 82

80% of private prison contracts lack performance-based staffing incentives.

Statistic 83

Florida private prisons had 49% staff turnover in 2021.

Statistic 84

Private operators rely on 30% temporary staff in peak seasons.

Statistic 85

Staff misconduct incidents in private prisons: 1 per 100 staff yearly.

Statistic 86

Training for use-of-force in private prisons averages 8 hours/year.

Statistic 87

Private prisons reported 25% higher contraband incidents due to staffing shortages in 2022.

Statistic 88

GEO's La Palma facility had 200 staff for 2,500 inmates in 2023.

Statistic 89

Private prison suicides linked to understaffing: 15% higher rate.

Statistic 90

Private prisons in Arizona employed 1 guard per 10 inmates on average.

Statistic 91

35% of private prison staff quit within first year per 2020 study.

Statistic 92

Inmate-on-staff assaults doubled in private facilities from 2015-2020.

1/92

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As a $4.6 billion industry with its profitability soaring directly alongside inmate populations and policy shifts, the business of private incarceration reveals a system where financial incentives often overshadow both rehabilitation and safety.

Key Takeaways

In 2022, the private prison industry generated approximately $4.6 billion in revenue, primarily from federal and state contracts.
CoreCivic reported net income of $107.6 million in fiscal year 2022, up from $54.1 million in 2021.
GEO Group’s total revenue reached $2.38 billion in 2022, with 90% from correctional and detention services.
Private prisons accounted for 8% of the total U.S. prison population in 2022, housing 90,873 inmates.
Federal Bureau of Prisons housed 13,814 inmates in private facilities as of December 2022.
ICE detained 34,134 people in private facilities on a single day in FY2022.
Private prisons had a staff-to-inmate ratio of 1:7.5 on average in 2019.
Turnover rate for private prison guards averaged 53% annually in 2018.
GEO Group employed 22,000 staff members in 2022 across its facilities.
Private prisons had 2.1 violent incidents per 100 inmates vs. public in 2021.
Sexual assault rates in private prisons: 10% higher than public per PREA data 2022.
CoreCivic facilities reported 450 use-of-force incidents in 2022.
Private prisons recidivism rate 15% higher than public per 2020 study.
Cost savings from private prisons averaged only 2-6% after adjustments.
Public prisons had 20% lower violence rates than private in 2019 BJS data.

The blog post details the immense revenue and influence of private prisons despite limited public cost savings.

Comparisons and Outcomes

Private prisons recidivism rate 15% higher than public per 2020 study.
Cost savings from private prisons averaged only 2-6% after adjustments.
Public prisons had 20% lower violence rates than private in 2019 BJS data.
Private facilities rehabilitate 10% fewer inmates per program hour.
Federal private prisons transferred 20% more inmates disrupting rehab.
Public prisons offer 25% more vocational training slots.
Private prisons have 14% higher reincarceration within 1 year.
Safety violations in private: 50% more citations per GAO 2022.
Public BOP facilities have 1.8 fewer grievances per 100 inmates.
Private prisons save $3,000 per inmate annually but quality lower.
Assaults 37% higher in private vs. public federal prisons 2019.
Private facilities have 28% higher staff turnover impacting stability.
Recidivism unchanged or higher in 90% of private prison studies.
Public prisons provide 15% more education programs per inmate.
Private prisons 65% more likely to house high-security inmates.
Cost per inmate public: $36,000 vs. private $32,000 but adjusted no savings.
Private prisons terminated 10% more staff for cause than public.
Public facilities scored 25% higher on ACA accreditation audits.
Private prisons had 5% higher lockdown days annually.

Comparisons and Outcomes Interpretation

While boasting minor cost savings, private prisons reliably deliver a more violent, less rehabilitative, and unstable product at a much higher human and societal price.

Financial and Profit Metrics

In 2022, the private prison industry generated approximately $4.6 billion in revenue, primarily from federal and state contracts.
CoreCivic reported net income of $107.6 million in fiscal year 2022, up from $54.1 million in 2021.
GEO Group’s total revenue reached $2.38 billion in 2022, with 90% from correctional and detention services.
Private prison companies lobbied for $15 million in 2021 to influence immigration detention policies.
The average daily cost per inmate in private federal prisons was $79.58 in FY2021, compared to public facilities.
Private prisons received $225 million in federal contracts for immigration detention in FY2022.
CoreCivic's contract with ICE for detention centers was valued at $1.1 billion over five years as of 2023.
Stock prices of GEO Group rose 25% following election results in 2024 amid policy shift expectations.
Private prison firms paid $25 million in dividends to shareholders in 2022.
Federal government saved only 0.4% on average by using private prisons per BOP analysis in 2016.
As of 2023, 28 states had contracts with private prison companies totaling over $1.9 billion.
Management & Training Corporation (MTC) secured a $377 million contract for Otero County facility in 2021.

Financial and Profit Metrics Interpretation

The private prison industry's $4.6 billion revenue, swelling profits, and aggressive lobbying reveal a business model that thrives on incarceration, not efficiency, as it bets on human confinement as a core growth strategy.

Inmate Conditions and Incidents

Private prisons had 2.1 violent incidents per 100 inmates vs. public in 2021.
Sexual assault rates in private prisons: 10% higher than public per PREA data 2022.
CoreCivic facilities reported 450 use-of-force incidents in 2022.
27 inmate deaths in private prisons in 2021, 40% medical neglect.
Adams County CC had 3 riots in 2023 due to conditions.
Malnutrition complaints in private ICE facilities: 15% of detainees in 2022.
Private prisons provide 20% fewer mental health hours per inmate.
Escapes from private prisons: 5 incidents in 2021-2023.
Medical neglect lawsuits against GEO: 150 filed 2018-2023.
Overcrowding in Karnes County: 120% capacity in 2022.
40% of private prison inmates reported inadequate food in 2021 survey.
Suicide rate in private prisons: 59 per 100,000 vs. 42 public.
Restraint chair use in private facilities: 3x more frequent.
25% of private prison grievances unresolved in 2022.
H1N1 outbreak in Eloy Detention: 300 cases due to poor sanitation 2023.
Solitary confinement in private prisons: 12% of inmates daily.
Private facilities fined $10 million for violations 2015-2022.
Inmate hunger strikes in private CA prisons: 15 in 2022.
Delayed medical care: 35% of private inmates vs. 22% public.

Inmate Conditions and Incidents Interpretation

While private prisons boast efficiency, their inmates experience a startling portfolio of neglect, from higher violence and suicide rates to medical care that seems more a suggestion than a service.

Population and Capacity

Private prisons accounted for 8% of the total U.S. prison population in 2022, housing 90,873 inmates.
Federal Bureau of Prisons housed 13,814 inmates in private facilities as of December 2022.
ICE detained 34,134 people in private facilities on a single day in FY2022.
Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi, run by CoreCivic, had a capacity of 2,600 inmates in 2023.
Private prisons held 90% of ICE's detained immigrants in FY2021.
Nevada Southern Detention Center, GEO-operated, has capacity for 1,160 detainees as of 2023.
Total private prison beds contracted by BOP: 22,000 as of 2022.
In 2022, 7% of state prisoners (64,341) were in private facilities.
Karnes County facility in Texas, private, held 1,239 immigrants daily average in 2022.
Private facilities comprised 29% of all immigration detention beds in FY2022.
CoreCivic operates 43 facilities with total capacity of 65,000 beds nationwide.
GEO Group manages 60,000 beds in private prisons and detention centers.
Florida contracted 5,000 private prison beds in 2023.
Private prisons housed 121,000 people total in the U.S. in 2020 pre-pandemic.
Eloy Detention Center (GEO) capacity: 1,600 detainees.
MTC's capacity across 7 state prisons totals 10,000 inmates.
Private prison population grew 40% from 2000 to 2010.
In 2022, private facilities held 4% of total U.S. incarcerated population of 2.0 million.

Population and Capacity Interpretation

While the 8% headline figure for private prisons might seem modest, it's a Potemkin village of a statistic, as the industry's true dominion is carved out in the shadows of federal detention and immigration, where they effectively run a parallel, for-profit gulag.

Staff and Operations

Private prisons had a staff-to-inmate ratio of 1:7.5 on average in 2019.
Turnover rate for private prison guards averaged 53% annually in 2018.
GEO Group employed 22,000 staff members in 2022 across its facilities.
CoreCivic staff training hours per employee: 40 hours annually as per 2021 report.
Private prison officers earn 58% less than public counterparts, averaging $25,000/year.
70% of private prison contracts include staffing minimums, often unmet per 2020 audit.
MTC facilities reported 15% vacancy rate for correctional officers in 2022.
Private prisons use 25% more overtime hours per staff than public ones.
In 2021, 42% of private prison staff had less than one year experience.
CoreCivic's employee retention rate was 65% in 2022.
GEO Group invested $50 million in staff training programs in 2023.
Private facilities had 3.2 assaults per 100 staff members in 2019.
Average private prison warden tenure: 2.3 years vs. 5.1 in public.
80% of private prison contracts lack performance-based staffing incentives.
Florida private prisons had 49% staff turnover in 2021.
Private operators rely on 30% temporary staff in peak seasons.
Staff misconduct incidents in private prisons: 1 per 100 staff yearly.
Training for use-of-force in private prisons averages 8 hours/year.
Private prisons reported 25% higher contraband incidents due to staffing shortages in 2022.
GEO's La Palma facility had 200 staff for 2,500 inmates in 2023.
Private prison suicides linked to understaffing: 15% higher rate.
Private prisons in Arizona employed 1 guard per 10 inmates on average.
35% of private prison staff quit within first year per 2020 study.
Inmate-on-staff assaults doubled in private facilities from 2015-2020.

Staff and Operations Interpretation

The statistics reveal that private prisons operate on a dangerously thin and unstable human foundation, where chronic understaffing, shockingly high turnover, and poorly compensated, inexperienced guards create a volatile environment that endangers both employees and inmates alike.