Rivers Correctional Institution
Rivers was built in the county of Hertford in Winton, North Carolina in 2001 on the site of native Meherrin land and a former slave plantation. It operated until 2021 under a direct federal public-private partnership contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Rivers primarily housed inmates from Washington, DC until 2011 when it officially became a Criminal Alien Requirement prison. Rivers closed in 2021 due to reasons including Executive Order 14006, an attempt to end for-profit prisons, Covid, and reports of systemic issues of safety and misconduct inside the facility.
The GEO Group
Rivers is owned by the GEO Group, the second largest private prison corporation in the United States. Formerly Wackenhut, GEO has a long record of complaints and lawsuits about the inhumane conditions of their prison facilities across the country. Reports include dirty drinking water, rotten food, unsanitary bathrooms and sewage systems, medical neglect, forced labor, and physical and sexual assault by GEO employees.
The owner of the GEO Group, George Zoley, is an immigrant himself. Greek by birth, Zoley is worth $68 million dollars. In fact, in 2025, GEO grossed $2.63 billion. In 2026, GEO stands to have their most profitable year ever. GEO donated $1.5 million dollars to the Trump presidential campaign because they knew that Trump and the policies of his administration would benefit GEO. Not only does GEO make billions, but your tax money is making it possible. In fact, $75 BILLION was allocated for the ICE budget. That's more than any other federal law enforcement agency. Former GEO employees now even work in the US government and ICE while ex-ICE officials are employed at GEO.
Learn more about the history of
Rivers and the land HERE