Private prison contracting at the county level creates a specific accountability gap that has played out at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County: when someone dies or is seriously harmed inside a privately operated jail, who bears responsibility? The county — which contracted out management but retains legal custody of the detainee — or GEO Group, which made the day-to-day operational decisions? Families of people who have died at George W. Hill have navigated this question in civil litigation, with the answer typically being: both, in complicated ways.
The Deaths
Like other large county jails in the Philadelphia region, George W. Hill has experienced in-custody deaths across multiple categories: deaths from medical conditions, overdose deaths, suicides, and incidents of violence. The facility's large ICE detainee population adds another dimension — federal oversight of immigration detention standards, managed separately from state and county jail oversight.
Delaware County, as the contracting government entity, is required under Pennsylvania law to report in-custody deaths to the county coroner. GEO Group, as the operator, is required to report to the county and to conduct internal reviews. The combination means there are overlapping but not fully integrated accountability mechanisms.
Civil Litigation Against GEO Group and Delaware County
Families of people who have died at George W. Hill have filed civil rights lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 — the federal civil rights statute that allows people to sue state actors (including private actors operating as government contractors) for constitutional violations. The specific claims vary by case but typically involve:
- Deliberate indifference to serious medical need: An Eighth Amendment claim that the facility knew someone had a serious medical condition and consciously disregarded it, resulting in harm or death
- Inadequate supervision: Failure to monitor someone known to be at risk of self-harm or violence
- GEO Group policy claims: That GEO Group's internal policies — such as understaffing to reduce costs — created conditions that made injury or death more likely
The Role of Delaware County's Transition in Accountability
One stated rationale for Delaware County's decision to end the GEO Group contract is improved accountability. Under direct county management, the warden and every corrections officer is a county employee — accountable through the county's human resources and disciplinary system, subject to county government oversight, and operating under policies set by elected county officials who answer to voters. Under GEO Group management, accountability ran through the corporation's internal hierarchy, which prioritized compliance with the contract's performance metrics rather than broader county governance standards.
For families who have lost loved ones inside George W. Hill, Delaware County's assumption of management does not resolve past harms. Civil litigation for deaths that occurred under GEO Group management names GEO Group and Delaware County as defendants — the transition to county management does not eliminate GEO Group's legal exposure for events that occurred during their tenure.
What Families Should Know
If your loved one has experienced a serious injury or death at George W. Hill:
- Consult a civil rights attorney as soon as possible — statutes of limitations apply to civil rights claims and begin running at the time of the incident
- Request all medical records, incident reports, and use of force documentation through a formal written request to both GEO Group and Delaware County
- Under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, certain facility records are now accessible as the county assumes management — file formal RTKL requests through Delaware County's Open Records Officer
- The ACLU of Pennsylvania (aclupa.org) handles civil rights cases involving county jail conditions
George W. Hill Correctional Facility: 365 Maryland Road, Thornton, PA 19373. Phone: (610) 459-5300. Delaware County government: delcopa.gov. ACLU of Pennsylvania: aclupa.org.