Washington bans for-profit jails, targeting Northwest Detention Center Gov. Jay Inslee has approved a bill banning for-profit jails in Washington state. The Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma is the only one that faces being shut down The Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, which holds more than 1,500 people, is owned by Geo Group, a private company that contracts with the federal government to run the facility. Author: Associated Press Updated: 11:25 AM PDT April 15, 2021 The 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma is operated by the GEO Group under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and it’s the only for-profit detention facility in the state.