Human Rights Policy Implementation

2016 – GEO Group Inc.

 

 

WHEREAS, The GEO Group, representing itself as “the world’s leading provider of correctional, detention, and community reentry services”, faces increasing scrutiny and expectations from investors and clients regarding its Human Rights performance. Indeed, The GEO Group promotes itself as having “always been committed to protecting human rights” -- in recognition of the critical nature of Human Rights performance as a reputational and operational indicator of long-term success and competitiveness.

 

WHEREAS, findings by a client of The GEO Group, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) internal investigative body, the Office of Detention Oversight (ODO) found The GEO Group’s failure to ensure proper medical care for detained immigrants at the Adelanto Detention Facility (ADF) and the Denver Contract Detention Facility (DCDF) resulted in preventable deaths of two detainees. At ADF the ICE ODO audit found “several egregious errors committed by medical staff...[and that] the detainee’s death could have been prevented and that the detainee received an unacceptable level of medical care,” a violation of the detainee’s human rights. At DCDF, the ICE ODO found that the facility had “failed to provide [a detainee] access to emergent, urgent, or non-emergent medical care,” resulting in the detainee’s death.

 

Human Rights performance is critical to The GEO Group’s reputation and long-term growth. In order to ensure that the company is adequately respecting human rights in its facilities and meeting the objectives outlined in its “Global Human Rights Policy,” additional public disclosure of the following efforts is necessary:  ongoing employee training on Human Rights compliance; measurement and assessment of Human Rights performance; steps to mitigate Human Rights risks; modifications of the policies and practices as necessary, including medical access protocols.  Disclosing this information will benefit Human Rights performance at The GEO Group and mitigate Human Rights operational and reputational risks that are inherent within the business environment. Incorporating these measures into operations and reporting on this work annually will strengthen The GEO Group operationally and provide investors with important information to adequately assess Human Rights performance.

 

RESOLVED: Shareholders request that The GEO Group provide an independent Human Rights report to its investors, published on its website annually beginning in May 2016.

 

Supporting Statement:  We request that the report should include:

 

1. Specific information on the content of the Human Rights ongoing trainings and manner they are provided to employees.

2. The number of people trained and frequency of Human Rights training.

3. Metrics used to assess effectiveness of the training and outcomes of assessment.

4. A process for identifying Human Rights shortfalls and steps taken to modify training and practices to improve Human Rights performance.

 

The actions sought to be taken within this Resolution by The GEO Group management will serve to further operationalize the critical work of Human Rights performance and provide investors relevant information on the Human Rights performance practices at The GEO Group.