Wackenhut Corrections (Later GEO Group) Goes Public on NASDAQ, Second Major Private Prison Company Enters Wall Street

Wackenhut Corrections Corporation (WCC) launches its initial public offering on NASDAQ, selling 2.2 million shares and becoming the second major private prison company to go public. Founded in 1984 by George C. Zoley as a division of The Wackenhut Corporation security firm, WCC establishes itself as CCA’s primary competitor in the for-profit incarceration market. The company later rebrands as The GEO Group in 2004, becoming one of the two dominant private prison operators.

The WCC IPO comes at a critical moment as Congress prepares to pass the 1994 Crime Bill and ALEC’s “tough on crime” model legislation spreads across state legislatures. The timing positions WCC to capitalize on the coming explosion in incarceration rates driven by three-strikes laws, mandatory minimums, and truth-in-sentencing requirements. Wall Street recognizes that harsh sentencing policies translate directly to increased revenue for private prison operators.

By 2024, GEO Group operates 80,000 beds at 99 facilities, making it the largest prison operator in the United States. The company’s evolution from a security guard company subsidiary to a publicly traded prison empire demonstrates how privatization transforms public safety into shareholder profit. GEO Group’s stock performance becomes directly tied to immigration enforcement policies and criminal sentencing severity, creating corporate lobbying incentives against reform.