Exhibit 1.1

The GEO Group, Inc.

EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

Dated: December 28, 2023

Table of Contents

EXHIBITS

ii

The GEO Group, Inc.

Up to $300,000,000 of Shares of Common Stock

EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

December 28, 2023

[Manager’s name and address]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The GEO Group, Inc., a Florida corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with [___], as sales agent hereunder (the “Manager”), as follows:

SECTION 1. Description of Securities.

The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through the Manager, acting as agent and/or principal, shares (the “Securities”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an aggregate sale price of up to $300,000,000 (the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Agreement regarding the number and aggregate sale price of the Securities issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and the Manager shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and sale of the Securities through the Manager will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) that was filed by the Company on October 30, 2023 and which became effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(e) (“Rule 462(e)”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement to issue any Securities. Subject to the provisions of Section 7(k), the Company reserves the right to issue and sell Securities other than to or through the Manager or any Alternative Manager (as defined below).

The Company has filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-275219), including a base prospectus, relating to Common Stock, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement (the “Prospectus Supplement”). The Company will furnish to the Manager, for use by the Manager, copies of the prospectus included as part of such registration statement, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, relating to the Securities. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement and any Replacement Registration Statement (as defined in Section 7(a) hereof), in either case, as amended when it became effective, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including

any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B of the Securities Act, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act is herein called the “Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR.

The Company has also entered into separate equity distribution agreements providing for the distribution by the Company of its Common Stock on terms and conditions substantially identical to the terms and conditions hereof (each, an “Alternative Distribution Agreement”), dated as of even date herewith, with [____] (each, an “Alternative Manager”). The aggregate sale prices of the Securities that may be sold pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements collectively shall not exceed the Maximum Amount. This Agreement shall supersede and replace any existing Equity Distribution Agreement between the Company and the Manager. As of the date hereof, the Company is not party to any Equity Distribution Agreement other than this Agreement and the Alternative Distribution Agreements with the Alternative Managers.

SECTION 2. Placements.

Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell the Securities hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify the Manager by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires the Securities to be sold, which shall at a minimum include the number of Securities to be issued (the “Placement Securities”), the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of Securities that may be sold in any one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made (a “Placement Notice”), a form of which containing such minimum sales parameters necessary is attached hereto as Exhibit A. Each Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Exhibit B (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Manager set forth on Exhibit B, as such Exhibit B may be amended from time to time (including for the avoidance of doubt, to the extent provided to the Company after the date hereof). If the Manager wishes to accept the proposed terms included in a Placement Notice (which it may decline to do so for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussion with the Company, wishes to accept amended terms, the Manager will, prior to 4:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the business day following the business day on which such Placement Notice is delivered to the Manager, issue to the Company a notice by email (or other method mutually agreed

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to in writing by the parties) addressed to all of the individuals from the Company and the Manager set forth on Exhibit B setting forth the terms that the Manager is willing to accept. Where the terms provided in a Placement Notice are amended as provided for in the immediately preceding sentence, such terms will not be binding on the Company or the Manager until the Company delivers to the Manager an acceptance by email (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) of all of the terms of such Placement Notice, as amended (the “Acceptance”), which email shall be addressed to all of the individuals from the Company and the Manager set forth on Exhibit B. Each Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) shall be effective upon receipt by the Company of the Manager’s acceptance of the terms of such Placement Notice or upon receipt by the Manager of the Company’s Acceptance, as the case may be, unless and until (i) the entire amount of the Placement Securities has been sold, (ii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in the second sentence of this paragraph, the Company terminates such Placement Notice, (iii) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice with parameters superseding those on the earlier dated Placement Notice, (iv) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 13 or (v) either party shall have suspended the sale of the Placement Securities in accordance with Section 4 below; provided, however, that any notice pursuant to Section 4 shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Securities sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice or any Securities sold under an Alternative Distribution Agreement. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to the Manager in connection with the sale of the Placement Securities shall be mutually agreed to in writing by the parties but shall not exceed 2.00% of the gross proceeds from the sale of any Placement Securities pursuant to this Agreement. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor the Manager will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Securities unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to the Manager and either (i) the Manager accepts the terms of such Placement Notice or (ii) where the terms of such Placement Notice are amended, the Company accepts such amended terms by means of an Acceptance pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified in such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) will control. The sales parameters included in any Placement Notice may deviate from the minimum sales parameters included in Exhibit A if mutually agreed to in writing by the parties.

SECTION 3. Sale of Placement Securities by the Manager.

Subject to the provisions of Section 6(a), the Manager, for the period specified in the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell the Placement Securities up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable). The Manager will provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Securities hereunder setting forth the number of Placement Securities sold on such day, the compensation payable by the Company to the Manager pursuant to Section 2 with respect to such sales, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company, with an

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itemization of the deductions made by the Manager (as set forth in Section 6(b)) from the gross proceeds that it receives from such sales. Subject to the terms of the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Manager may sell Placement Securities by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act, including without limitation sales made directly on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), on any other existing trading market for the Common Stock or to or through a market maker. Subject to the terms of the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), the Manager may also sell Placement Securities by any other method permitted by law, including but not limited to in privately negotiated transactions. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any trading day other than a day on which the NYSE is scheduled to close prior to its regular weekday closing time.

SECTION 4. Suspension of Sales.

The Company or the Manager may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Exhibit B, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Exhibit B), suspend any sale of Placement Securities; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Securities sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice or any Securities sold under an Alternative Distribution Agreement. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to each of the individuals named on Exhibit B hereto, as such Exhibit B may be amended from time to time.

SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Manager as of the date hereof, as of each Representation Date (as defined below) on which a certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(o) of this Agreement, as of the date of the first sale of Securities pursuant to this Agreement, as of each Applicable Time and as of each Settlement Date (as defined below), and agrees with the Manager, as follows:

(1) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Securities have been duly registered under the Securities Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, and each Replacement Registration Statement, if any, has become effective under the Securities Act, no stop order preventing or suspending the use of any base prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below), or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

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At the respective times each of the Registration Statement, any Replacement Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto became or becomes effective and as of the date hereof, the Registration Statement, any Replacement Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act. At the time of its initial filing, as of the date hereof and on each Representation Date, the conditions for the use of Form S-3, including as set forth in the General Instructions thereto, were and will be met. The Registration Statement meets, and the offering and sale of the Securities as contemplated hereby complies with, the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 415(a)(5)). The Registration Statement, as of the date hereof and each effective date with respect thereto, did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, and at each Applicable Time and Settlement Date, as the case may be, included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

The representations and warranties set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by the Manager or an Alternative Manager expressly for use therein. The Company acknowledges that the name of the Manager set forth in the first paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement constitutes the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Manager for inclusion in the Registration Statement and Prospectus.

The copies of the Registration Statement and any Replacement Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, any other preliminary prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433 and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto delivered and to be delivered to the Manager (electronically or otherwise) in connection with the offering of the Securities were and will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus relating to the Securities, as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time and Settlement Date, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any incorporated document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager or an Alternative Manager specifically for use therein.

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At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement, at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the Securities Act and at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act, including not having been and not being an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act; and, without limitation to the foregoing, the Company has at all relevant times met, meets and will at all relevant times meet the requirements of Rule 164 for the use of a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby.

Each document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus heretofore filed, when it was filed (or, if any amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and any further documents so filed and incorporated after the date of this Agreement will, when they are filed, conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; no such document when it was filed (or, if an amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and no such document, when it is filed, will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading.

(2) Prior Written Communications. Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the Securities Act and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163 of the Securities Act, including without limitation the legending requirement.

(3) Accuracy of Statements in Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement. The statements in (i) the Prospectus Supplement under the heading “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders” and (ii) the Prospectus under the headings “Description of Capital Stock” and “Plan of Distribution” and the information in the Registration Statement under Part II, Item 15, insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, summaries of agreements or documents, or

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summaries of legal matters or proceedings, accurately and fairly present and summarize the matters referred to therein; provided, however, that the foregoing sentence shall not apply to statements made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by the Manager or an Alternative Manager expressly for use therein. The Company acknowledges that the name of the Manager set forth in the first paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement constitutes the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Manager for inclusion in the Registration Statement and Prospectus.

(4) Description of Securities. The Common Stock, the authorized but unissued Preferred Stock, and the Company’s charter and bylaws conform in all material respects to all of the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and such statements conform to the rights set forth in the respective instruments and agreements defining the same.

(5) C Corporation Status. The Company operated as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2020. On December 2, 2021, the Company announced that its board of directors unanimously approved a plan to terminate the Company’s REIT election and become a taxable C corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, effective for the year ended December 31, 2021.

(6) Permitted Free Writing Prospectus. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities to be sold hereunder by the Manager as principal or agent for the Company, other than the Prospectus and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Manager.

(7) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been, and any Placement Notice will be, duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(8) Authorization of Securities. The Securities to be sold by the Company pursuant to this Agreement have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Manager pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

(9) No Transfer Taxes. There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Securities.

(10) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement or otherwise registered by the Company under the Securities Act.

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(11) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), except as otherwise stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change is called a “Material Adverse Effect”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction or agreement; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, any of its subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of capital stock.

(12) Independent Accountants. Grant Thornton LLP, who has expressed its opinions with respect to the Company’s financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) and supporting schedules and internal control over financial reporting filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”).

(13) Financial Statements. The financial statements filed with the Commission as a part of or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries, as the case may be, as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their respective operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the periods specified. The supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein. Such financial statements and supporting schedules comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. The selected financial data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly present the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or

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incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and the Registration Statement fairly present the information called for in all material respects and have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. All of the disclosures contained or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. No other financial statements (pro forma or otherwise) or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

(14) Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has the corporate or other entity power, as the case may be, to own or lease, as the case may be, and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and, in the case of the Company, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. Each of the Company and each subsidiary is duly qualified and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not, in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other ownership interests of each subsidiary have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim, except for liens in favor of the lenders under the Credit Agreement, dated as of August 19, 2022, among the Company and GEO Corrections Holdings, Inc., as borrowers, Alter Domus Products Corp., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto (as amended by that certain Refinincing Revolving Credit Commitments Amendment, dated December 14, 2023, and as further amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), the 10.500% Public Second Lien Notes due 2028 and the 9.500% Private Second Lien Notes due 2028. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed on Schedule I hereto.

(15) Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus. The Common Stock (including the Securities) conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (i) have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and (ii) have been issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws. None of the outstanding shares of Common Stock were issued in violation of any

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preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those accurately described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights and all such plans have been approved or adopted in accordance with applicable law, rule or regulations, including without limitation, the rules of the NYSE.

(16) Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation or in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under its charter, by-laws or organizational documents, (ii) in Default under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, deed of trust, license or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or such subsidiary is a party or by which it may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”) or (iii) in violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such subsidiary or any of its properties, as applicable, except with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) only, for such Defaults or violations as would not, in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Prospectus (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any Default under the charter, by-laws or organizational documents of the Company or any subsidiary, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, and (iii) will not result in any violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their properties. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws and the rules and regulations of the New

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York Stock Exchange. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

(17) No Material Actions or Proceedings. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened (i) against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) which has as the subject thereof any officer or director of, or property owned or leased by, the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) relating to environmental or discrimination matters, where in any such case (A) there is a reasonable possibility that such action, suit or proceeding might be determined adversely to the Company or such subsidiary, or any officer or director of, or property owned or leased by, the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (B) any such action, suit or proceeding, if so determined adversely, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(18) Labor Matters. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable labor and employment laws. No labor problem or dispute, unionization efforts or collective bargaining negotiations with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent that could have a Material Adverse Effect. In the last five (5) years, none of the Company or its subsidiaries have implemented or announced a “plant closing,” “mass layoff,” or other similar action as defined in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2101 et seq., and any similar applicable state law or local law.

(19) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess, license or have other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all material patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in the Prospectus to be conducted, except where the failure to so own or possess such Intellectual Property could not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a) no party has been granted an exclusive license to use any portion of such Intellectual Property owned by the Company; (b) there is no material infringement by third parties of any such Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; (c) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any material Intellectual

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Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (d) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; and (e) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company’s business as now conducted infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim.

(20) Possession of Licenses and Permits. Except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of its subsidiaries possesses such valid and current licenses, certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal, provincial, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such license, certificate, authorization or permit which, in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could have a Material Adverse Effect.

(21) Title to Property. The Company and each of its subsidiaries has good and marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 5(a)(13) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), in each case, except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, claims and other defects, except such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company or such subsidiary. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such subsidiary.

(22) Tax Returns. The Company and each of its subsidiaries has filed all necessary federal, state, local and foreign tax returns in a timely manner, subject to permitted extensions, and has paid (i) all taxes required to be paid by any of them and (ii) any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them, in all cases in a timely manner, except for any taxes, assessments, fines or penalties as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and with respect to which all appropriate provisions have been made in accordance with GAAP in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 5(a)(13) above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries has not been finally determined.

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(23) Investment Company Act. The Company has been advised of the rules and requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company is not, and after receipt of payment for the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in any Alternative Distribution Agreement and the application of the proceeds hereof and thereof as contemplated under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act and will conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act.

(24) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are generally deemed adequate and customary for their businesses including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes. All policies of insurance and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no material claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any subsidiary will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(25) No Restrictions. (a) No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, or repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company, pursuant to or under (i) any mortgage loan agreement so long as neither the Company nor the subsidiary is in default under the applicable mortgage loan agreement, and, as of the date hereof, none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is in default under any such mortgage loan agreement, or (ii) any third party joint venture agreement, operating agreement or partnership agreement (each, a “JV Agreement”), so long as such dividends, distributions and repayments are made in accordance with the terms of the applicable JV Agreement; and (b) no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company under the Company’s and the subsidiaries’ existing mortgage loan agreements and JV Agreements, subject to customary approval rights and customary prohibitions under the applicable mortgage loan agreements and JV Agreements and except, in each case under clauses (a) and (b), as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

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(26) Actively Traded Security. The Common Stock is an “actively traded security” excepted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by subsection (c)(1) of such rule.

(27) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

(28) Related Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any subsidiary or any other person required to be described in the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

(29) Internal Controls and Procedures. The Company maintains (i) effective internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, and (ii) a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that, in all material respects, (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (E) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and Prospectus fairly present the information called for in all material respects and are prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

(30) No Material Weakness in Internal Controls. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(31) Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

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(32) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the FCPA, the UK Bribery Act or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA, the UK Bribery Act or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. The Company, its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, its directors, officers, agents, employees and affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA, the UK Bribery Act and any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith. “FCPA” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder. “UK Bribery Act” means the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

(33) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

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(34) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government, (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use any of the proceeds received from the sale of Securities contemplated by this Agreement, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds, to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to Sanctions, or use such proceeds in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as selling agent, manager, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.

(35) Environmental Laws.

(i) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation, order, permit or other requirement relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including without limitation, laws and regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum and petroleum products (collectively, “Materials of Environmental Concern”), or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environment Concern (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), which violation includes, but is not limited to, noncompliance with any permits or other governmental authorizations required for the operation of the business of the Company or its subsidiaries under applicable Environmental Laws, or noncompliance with the terms and conditions thereof, nor has the Company or any of its subsidiaries received any written communication, whether from a governmental authority, citizens group, employee or otherwise, that alleges that the Company or any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any Environmental Law;

(ii) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, there is no claim, action or cause of action filed with a court or governmental authority, no investigation with respect to which the Company has received written notice, and no written notice by any person or entity alleging potential liability for investigatory costs, cleanup costs, governmental responses costs, natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys’ fees or penalties arising out of, based on or resulting from the presence, or release into the environment, of any Material of Environmental Concern at any location owned, leased or operated by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, now or in the past (collectively, “Environmental Claims”), pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any of its subsidiaries has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law;

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(iii) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, there are no past, present or anticipated future actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge, presence or disposal of any Material of Environmental Concern, that reasonably could result in a violation of any Environmental Law, require expenditures to be incurred pursuant to Environmental Law, or form the basis of a potential Environmental Claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or against any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any of its subsidiaries has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law; and

(iv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is subject to any pending or threatened proceeding under Environmental Law to which a governmental authority is a party and which is reasonably likely to result in monetary sanctions, except for such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(36) ERISA Compliance. None of the following events has occurred or exists: (i) a material failure to fulfill the obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder with respect to a Plan, determined without regard to any waiver of such obligations or extension of any amortization period; (ii) an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other federal or state governmental agency or any foreign regulatory agency with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that could have a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) any breach of any contractual obligation, or any violation of law or applicable qualification standards, with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that could have a Material Adverse Effect. None of the following events has occurred or, to the Company’s knowledge, is reasonably likely to occur: (i) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans in the current fiscal year of the Company compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (ii) a material increase in the Company’s “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 106) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year; (iii) any event or condition giving rise to a liability under Title IV of ERISA that could have a Material Adverse Effect; or (iv) the filing of a claim by one or more employees or former employees of the Company related to their employment that could have a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “Plan” means a plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA with respect to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries may have any liability.

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(37) No Other Contracts. Other than this Agreement and each Alternative Distribution Agreement, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the Manager for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment with respect to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(38) No Outstanding Loans or Other Indebtedness. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of the members of any of them.

(39) Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(40) Subsidiaries. None of the subsidiaries of the Company (other than B.I. Incorporated, CPT Operating Partnership LP, GEO Corrections Holdings, Inc., and GEO Secure Services, LLC) is a “significant subsidiary” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

(41) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any outstanding borrowings from, or is a party to any line of credit, credit agreement or other credit facility or otherwise has a borrowing relationship with, any bank or other lending institution affiliated with the Manager, and the Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities to repay any debt owed to the Manager or any affiliate thereof.

(42) Statistical and Market Related Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

(43) Issuance of Unregistered Securities. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in documents that the Company has filed in accordance with the Exchange Act, the Company has not issued any capital stock other than pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or in reliance upon a valid exemption from registration thereunder.

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(44) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective (the “Grant Date”) by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including the rules of the NYSE and any other exchange on which Company securities are traded, (iv) the per share exercise price of each Stock Option was equal to the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the applicable Grant Date and (v) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company and disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Commission in accordance with the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company of granting, Stock Options prior to, or otherwise coordinate the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.

(45) NYSE. The outstanding shares of Common Stock and the Securities to be sold by the Company hereunder have been approved for listing, subject only to official notice of issuance, on the NYSE, and are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act or delisting any such securities from the NYSE, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the NYSE is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.

(46) Proprietary Trading by the Manager. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Manager has informed the Company that the Manager may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell shares of Common Stock for its own account or the accounts of its clients while this Agreement is in effect, and shall be under no obligation to purchase Securities on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by the Manager in the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).

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(47) Cybersecurity. The Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company as currently conducted, is materially free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants known at this time, or, have identified same, and are in the process of remediating to the extent possible. The Company and its subsidiaries have established, implemented, maintained and complied with commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data, including all “Personal Data” (defined below) and all sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Confidential Data”) used in connection with their businesses. “Personal Data” means personal information as defined by any data privacy law or regulation applicable to the Company. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there have been no material breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to same, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any material incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. The Company and its subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems, Confidential Data, and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems, Confidential Data, and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.

(48) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are, and at all prior times were, in material compliance with all applicable state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, including without limitation, and to the extent applicable, HIPAA, CCPA, and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679) (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”). To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company has in place, complies with, and takes appropriate steps to ensure compliance in all material respects with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, processing, disclosure, handling, and analysis of Personal Data and Confidential Data (the “Policies”). The Company has at all times made all disclosures to users or customers required by applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, and none of such disclosures made or contained in any Policy have been inaccurate or in violation of any applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements in any material respect. The Company further certifies that neither it nor any subsidiary: (i) has received notice of any actual or potential material liability under or relating to, or actual or potential material violation of, any of the Privacy Laws, and has no knowledge of any material event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.

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(49) Solvency. The Company is Solvent. As used herein, the term “Solvent” means, with respect to any person on a particular date, that on such date (i) such person is able to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business, (ii) such person’s total assets are greater than the sum of such person’s total liabilities and (iii) such person is not engaged in any business or transaction, and does not propose to engage in any business or transaction, for which its property would constitute unreasonably small capital after giving due consideration to the prevailing practice in the industry in which such person is engaged.

(50) Transactions With Employees. None of the current officers or directors of the Company or any subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the current employees of the Company or any subsidiary, is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from, any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any current officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, shareholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $250,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including but not limited to equity award agreements under any equity incentive plan of the Company.

(51) Continuous Offering Agreements. Except for each Alternative Distribution Agreement, the Company is not party to any other equity distribution or sales agency agreement or other similar arrangement with any other agent or any other representative in respect of any “at the market offering” or other continuous equity offering transaction.

(52) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.

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(53) FINRA Affiliation. To the Company’s knowledge, no officer, director or any beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s unregistered securities has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). The Company will advise the Manager if it learns that any officer, director or owner of 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock or common stock equivalents is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member firm.

(b) Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Manager or Manager Counsel (as defined below) shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Manager as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 6. Sale and Delivery to the Manager; Settlement.

(a) Sale of Placement Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Manager’s acceptance of the terms of a Placement Notice or upon receipt by the Manager of an Acceptance, as the case may be, and unless the sale of the Placement Securities described therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Manager, for the period specified in the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Securities up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable). The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Manager will be successful in selling Placement Securities, (ii) the Manager will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Securities for any reason other than a failure by the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Securities as required under this Section 6 and (iii) the Manager shall be under no obligation to purchase Securities on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by the Manager and the Company in the Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).

(b) Settlement of Placement Securities. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable), settlement for sales of Placement Securities will occur at 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Securities sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by the Manager at which such Placement Securities were sold, after deduction for (i) the Manager’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to the Manager hereunder pursuant to Section 8(a) hereof, and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.

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(c) Delivery of Placement Securities. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Placement Securities being sold by crediting the Manager’s or its designee’s account (provided the Manager shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Manager will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, such Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver Placement Securities on a Settlement Date, in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 10(a) hereto, the Company will (i) hold the Manager harmless against any loss, liability, claim, damage, or expense whatsoever (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or its transfer agent and (ii) pay to the Manager any commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.

(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Securities shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Manager may request in writing at least one full business day before the Settlement Date. The certificates for the Securities will be made available for examination and packaging by the Manager in The City of New York not later than noon (New York time) on the business day prior to the Settlement Date. The Company shall deliver the Securities, if any, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Manager shall otherwise instruct.

(e) Limitations on Offering Size. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Securities, if after giving effect to the sale of such Securities, the aggregate offering price of the Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements would exceed the lesser of (A) the Maximum Amount and (B) the amount authorized from time to time to be issued and sold by the Company under this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements and notified to the Manager in writing. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Securities pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Company and notified to the Manager in writing. Further, under no circumstances shall the aggregate offering price of Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements, including any separate underwriting or similar agreement covering principal transactions described in Section 1 of this Agreement, exceed the Maximum Amount.

(f) Limitations on Managers. The Company agrees that any offer to sell, any solicitation of an offer to buy or any sales of Securities shall only be effected by or through only one of the Manager or any Alternative Manager on any single given day, but in no event more than one, and the Company shall in no event request that the Manager and any Alternative Manager sell Securities on the same day.

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(g) Blackout Periods. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not offer, sell or deliver, or request the offer or sale of, any Securities and, by notice to the Manager given by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Exhibit B), shall cancel any instructions for the offer or sale of any Securities, and the Manager shall not be obligated to offer or sell any Securities, (i) during any period in which the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information or (ii) except as provided in Section 6(h), at any time from and including the date (each, an “Announcement Date”) on which the Company shall issue a press release containing, or shall otherwise publicly announce, its earnings, revenues or other results of operations (each, an “Earnings Announcement”) through and including the time that is 24 hours after the time that the Company files (a “Filing Time”) a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or an Annual Report on Form 10-K that includes consolidated financial statements as of and for the same period or periods, as the case may be, covered by such Earnings Announcement.

(h) Sales during Quarterly Blackout Periods. If the Company wishes to offer, sell or deliver Securities at any time during the period from and including an Announcement Date through and including the time that is 24 hours after the corresponding Filing Time, the Company shall (i) prepare and deliver to the Manager (with a copy to Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, the “Manager Counsel”) a draft of a Current Report on Form 8-K which shall include substantially the same financial and related information as was set forth in the relevant Earnings Announcement (other than any earnings projections, similar forward-looking data and officers’ quotations) (each, an “Earnings 8-K”), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, and obtain the consent of the Manager to the filing thereof (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld), (ii) provide the Manager with the officer’s certificate, opinions/letters of counsel and accountants’ comfort letter called for by Sections 7(o), (p) and (q); respectively, (iii) afford the Manager the opportunity to conduct a due diligence review in accordance with Section 7(m) and (iv) file such Earnings 8-K with the Commission, and the provisions of clause (ii) of Section 6(g) shall not be applicable for the period from and after the time at which the foregoing conditions shall have been satisfied (or, if later, the time that is 24 hours after the time that the relevant Earnings Announcement was first publicly released) through and including the time that is 24 hours after the Filing Time of the relevant Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act, as the case may be. For purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that (A) the delivery of any officer’s certificate, opinions/letters of counsel and accountants’ letter pursuant to this Section 6(h) shall not relieve the Company from any of its obligations under this Agreement with respect to any Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K, as the case may be, including, without limitation, the obligation to deliver officer’s certificates, opinions/letters of counsel and accountants’ letters as provided in Section 7 and (B) this Section 6(h) shall in no way affect or limit the operation of the clause (i) of Section 6(g), which shall have independent application.

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SECTION 7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with the Manager as follows:

(a) Registration Statement Amendments; Payment of Fees. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Securities is required to be delivered by the Manager under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), (i) the Company will notify the Manager promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than documents incorporated by reference, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any comment letter from the Commission or any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Manager’s request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Manager’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement Securities by the Manager (provided, however, that the failure of the Manager to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Manager’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, relating to the Placement Securities or a security convertible into the Placement Securities unless a copy thereof has been submitted to the Manager within a reasonable period of time before the filing and the Manager has not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, that the failure of the Manager to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Manager’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to the Manager at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act). If immediately prior to the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Securities remain unsold, then, prior to issuing any Placement Notice with respect to any such unsold Securities, the Company will take such action as is necessary or appropriate in accordance with this Section 7(a) to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the Prospectus forming part of the expiring Registration Statement. In such event, if the Company has not already done so and is eligible to do so, it will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, file with the Commission either (A) a new automatic shelf registration statement or (B), if the Company is not then eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, a new shelf registration statement in either case, relating to any unsold Securities and in a form satisfactory to the Manager and Manager Counsel (such filing, a “Replacement Registration Statement”). If the Replacement Registration Statement does not become effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the Securities Act, the Company will use its commercially reasonable

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efforts to cause such Replacement Registration Statement to be declared effective by, or as soon as possible (and in any event within 180 days) after, the Renewal Deadline. The Company will pay the fees required by the Commission relating to the Placement Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r). The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of any unsold Securities to continue as contemplated in the Prospectus forming part of the expiring Registration Statement.

(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise the Manager, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any other order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the loss or suspension of any exemption from any such qualification, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes, or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement or if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order, the suspension of any qualification of the Securities for offering or sale and any loss or suspension of any exemption from any such qualification, and if any such stop order is issued or any such suspension or loss occurs, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(c) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the Manager and Manager Counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities and at such locations as the Manager may from time to time reasonably request; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the Manager to the extent any such document is available on EDGAR. The copies of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any supplements or amendments thereto furnished to the Manager will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. If at any time when a Prospectus is required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act to be delivered in connection with a pending sale of the Placement Securities (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 172), any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Manager or for the Company, to amend the

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Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Manager to suspend the offering of Placement Securities during such period and the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Manager such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Manager may reasonably request. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted, conflicts or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or included, includes or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Manager to suspend the offering of Placement Securities during such period and the Company will, subject to Section 7(a) hereof, promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

(e) Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Manager, to qualify the Placement Securities for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Securities to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Manager may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Securities (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement Securities have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Securities (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement).

(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the Exchange Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Manager the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act.

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(g) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

(h) Listing. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities is required to be delivered by the Manager under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Securities (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Securities to be listed on the NYSE.

(i) Filings with the NYSE. The Company will timely file with the NYSE all material documents and notices required by the NYSE of companies that have or will issue securities that are traded on the NYSE.

(j) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during any period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act.

(k) Notice of Other Sales. The Company will not, without (i) giving the Manager at least three (3) business days’ prior written notice specifying the nature of the proposed sale and the date of such proposed sale and (ii) the Manager suspending activity with respect to Placement Securities for such period of time as requested by the Company or as deemed appropriate by the Manager in light of the proposed sale, (A) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common Stock, or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing (other than a shelf registration statement under Rule 415 under the Securities Act, a registration statement on Form S-8 or post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) or (B) enter into any swap or other agreement or any transaction that transfers in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (x) the Securities to be offered and sold through the Manager pursuant to this Agreement, or the shares of Common Stock that may be sold pursuant to any Alternative Distribution Agreement, (y) Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Company’s employee stock purchase plan, as may be amended or replaced from time to time, or a dividend reinvestment plan that the Company may adopt and amend from time to time and (z) equity incentive awards approved by the Board of Directors or the compensation committee thereof or the issuance of Common Stock upon exercise or settlement thereof.

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(l) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Securities, advise the Manager promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided to the Manager pursuant to this Agreement.

(m) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Manager or Manager Counsel or agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Manager may reasonably request.

(n) Disclosure of Sales. The Company will disclose in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in its annual report on Form 10-K the (i) aggregate number of shares of Common Stock sold through the Manager and each Alternative Manager pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreement, (ii) the net proceeds received by the Company with respect to all such sales pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements, and (iii) the compensation payable by the Company to the Manager and each Alternative Manager with respect to all such sales pursuant to this Agreement and all Alternative Distribution Agreements.

(o) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and:

(1) each time the Company:

(i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities or amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement but not by means of incorporation of documents by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Securities;

(ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K (including any Form 10-K/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously field Form 10-K) under the Exchange Act;

(iii) files a quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; or

(iv) files a current report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than to “furnish” information contained in an earnings release pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K) under the Exchange Act; and

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(2) at any other time reasonably requested by the Manager (each such date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (1)(i) through (iv) and any time of request pursuant to this Section 7(o) shall be a “Representation Date”),

the Company shall furnish the Manager with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D and executed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer or Treasurer of the Company, within five (5) Trading Days of any such Representation Date, and in any event prior to the first sale of Securities pursuant to this Agreement and prior to the first sale of Securities on or after any such Representation Date. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(o) shall be waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice (as amended by the corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and the next occurring Representation Date; provided, however, that such waiver shall not apply for any Representation Date on which the Company files its annual report on Form 10-K. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Securities following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide the Manager with a certificate under this Section 7(o), then before the Company delivers the Placement Notice or the Manager sells any Placement Securities, the Company shall provide the Manager with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D, dated the date of the Placement Notice.

(p) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and on a date that is within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D for which no waiver is applicable, and in any event prior to the first sale of Securities pursuant to this Agreement and prior to the first sale of Securities on or after any such Representation Date pursuant to this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Manager a written opinion of Akerman LLP, counsel to the Company (“Company Counsel”), or other counsel satisfactory to the Manager, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager and Manager Counsel, dated the date that the opinion is required to be delivered, substantially similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit C; provided, however, that in lieu of such opinion for subsequent Representation Dates, such counsel may furnish the Manager a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that the Manager may rely on the prior opinion delivered under this Section 7(p) to the same extent as if it was dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinions shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

(q) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the date that the first Securities are sold pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and on a date that is within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D for which no waiver is applicable, and in any event prior to the first sale of Securities pursuant to this Agreement and prior to the first sale of Securities on or after any such Representation Date pursuant to this Agreement,

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the Company shall cause its independent accountants (and any other independent accountants whose report is included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus) to furnish the Manager letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date of the Comfort Letter is delivered, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the PCAOB, (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.

(r) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Securities to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Securities to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement other than the Manager; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase its Common Stock in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act; and provided further, that no such bids or purchases shall be made by the Company during the three (3) Trading Days before or after any sale of any Securities pursuant to this Agreement.

(s) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries shall maintain, or caused to be maintained, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is reasonable and customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries.

(t) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material environmental permits, licenses and other authorizations required by federal, state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus, and the Company and each of its subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations and with applicable environmental laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(u) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor its subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, assuming no change in the Commission’s current interpretation as to entities that are not considered an investment company.

(v) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Securities as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.

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(w) No Offer to Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance in writing by the Company and the Manager in its capacity as principal or agent hereunder, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Manager in its capacity as such) will not, directly or indirectly, make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any free writing prospectus relating to the Securities to be sold by the Manager as principal or agent hereunder.

(x) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries will use their best efforts to comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

(y) Regulation M. If the Company has reason to believe that the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with respect to the Company or the Common Stock, it shall promptly notify the Manager and sales of the Placement Securities under this Agreement shall be suspended until that or other exemptive provisions have been satisfied in the judgment of each party.

The Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive in writing the performance by the Company of any one or more of the foregoing covenants or extend the time for their performance.

SECTION 8. Payment of Expenses.

(a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment and supplement thereto, (ii) the word processing, printing and delivery to the Manager of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Placement Securities to the Manager, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any capital duties, stamp duties or other duties or taxes payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Securities to the Manager, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (v) the qualification or exemption of the Placement Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Manager in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplements thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Manager of copies of any permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Manager to investors, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Manager of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any Canadian “wrapper” and any supplements thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Custodian and the transfer agent and registrar for the Securities, (ix) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of Manager Counsel in connection with, the review by FINRA of the

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terms of the sale of the Securities, (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Placement Securities on the NYSE, and (xi) the disbursements of counsel for the Manager in connection with the copying and delivery of closing documents delivered by the Company or the Company’s accountants or counsel (including any local counsel) and (xii) all of the Manager’s reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of Manager Counsel incurred by the Manager in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Manager in accordance with the provisions of Section 9 or Section 13(a)(i) hereof or as a result of trading in the Common Stock having been suspended or limited by the Commission or the NYSE (except if trading generally on the NYSE has been suspended), the Company shall reimburse the Manager for all of its out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Manager.

SECTION 9. Conditions of the Manager’s Obligations. The obligations of the Manager hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement or in certificates of any officer of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement and any Replacement Registration Statement shall have become effective and shall be available for (i) all sales of Placement Securities issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices (each as amended by a corresponding Acceptance, if applicable) and (ii) the sale of all Placement Securities contemplated to be issued by any Placement Notice (each as amended by a corresponding Acceptance, if applicable).

(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or such documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements

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therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. The Manager shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Manager’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Manager’s reasonable opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(d) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business.

(e) Opinion of Counsels for Company. The Manager shall have received the favorable opinion of Company Counsel (which includes negative assurances), required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p), on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(p), as well as the favorable opinion and negative assurance of Manager Counsel, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager and its counsel, on or before the date on which delivery of the opinions described in Section 7(p) is required.

(f) Representation Certificate. The Manager shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(o) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(o).

(g) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. The Manager shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant Section 7(q) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(q).

(h) Approval for Listing. The Placement Securities shall either have been (i) approved for listing on NYSE, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for listing of the Placement Securities on NYSE at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice.

(i) No Suspension. Trading in the Securities shall not have been suspended on the NYSE.

(j) Additional Documents. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(o), Manager Counsel shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, contained in this Agreement.

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(k) Securities Act Filings Made; Fees Paid. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Placement Securities within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 456(b) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a Prospectus Supplement filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

(l) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section 9 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Manager by notice to the Company, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Sections 8, 10 and 11 hereof and except that, in the case of any termination of this Agreement, Sections 5, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 21 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

(m) Delivery of Secretary’s Certificate. The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Manager a secretary’s certificate, dated as of the date herein, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager.

SECTION 10. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Manager, its affiliates, as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the Securities Act (each, an “Affiliate”), its directors, officers, employees and selling agents and each person, if any, who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided, that (subject to Section 10(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

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(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Manager), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above,

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager or an Alternative Manager expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto). The Company acknowledges that the name of the Manager set forth in the first paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement constitutes the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Manager for inclusion in the Registration Statement and Prospectus. This indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 10(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

(b) Indemnification by the Manager. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section 10, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such written information furnished by or on behalf of the Manager consists of the name of the Manager set forth in the first paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus Supplement.

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. Counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected as follows: counsel to the Manager, its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees and selling agents and

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each person, if any, who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall be selected by the Manager; and counsel to the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Manager, its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees and selling agents and each person, if any, who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, in each case in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 10 or Section 11 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d) Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 10(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

SECTION 11. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 10 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Manager on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Manager on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions.

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The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Manager on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total commissions received by the Manager, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.

The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Manager on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Manager and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The Company and the Manager agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 11 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 11. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 11 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 11, the Manager shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the total commissions received by the Manager in connection with the Securities sold by it.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 11, each Affiliate, selling agent, director, officer or employee of the Manager and each person, if any, who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and shall have the same rights to contribution as the Manager, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

SECTION 12. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Manager or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, and shall survive delivery of the Securities to the Manager.

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SECTION 13. Termination of Agreement.

(a) Termination; General. The Manager may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, as hereinafter specified at any time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Manager, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in the Common Stock has been suspended or limited by the Commission or the NYSE, or if trading generally on the NYSE American, the NYSE or the Nasdaq Global Select Market has been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by order of the Commission, the FINRA or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or in Europe, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

(b) Termination by the Company. The Company shall have the right, by giving three (3) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement.

(c) Termination by the Manager. The Manager shall have the right, by giving three (3) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement.

(d) Automatic Termination. Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 13, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Securities through the Manager on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein with an aggregate sale price, together with the aggregate sale price of shares of Common Stock sold under the Alternative Distribution Agreements, equal to the amount set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement.

(e) Continued Force and Effect. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Section 9(l) or Sections 13(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties.

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(f) Effectiveness of Termination. Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Manager or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Securities, such Placement Securities shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

(g) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 13, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Sections 8, 10 and 11 hereof, and except that, in the case of any termination of this Agreement, Section 5, Section 8, Section 10, Section 11, Section 12, and Section 21 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 14. Notices. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, all notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Manager shall be directed to the Manager at [_____], [__] Attention: [__]; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at The GEO Group, Inc., 4955 Technology Way, Boca Raton, FL 33487, fax no. (561) 999-7663, Attention: Shayn March.

An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 14 if sent to the electronic mail address specified by the receiving party under separate cover. Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives verification of receipt by the receiving party. Any party receiving Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive the notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”) which shall be sent to the requesting party within ten (10) days of receipt of the written request for Nonelectronic Notice.

SECTION 15. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Manager, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Manager, the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 10 and 11 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Manager, the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from the Manager shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 16. Adjustments for Stock Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all stock-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any stock split, stock dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Securities.

SECTION 17. Governing Law and Time; Consent to Jurisdiction. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE RELATING TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. Any legal suit, action or proceeding

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arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City and County of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City and County of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for suits, actions, or proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any Specified Court in a Related Proceeding, as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of the Specified Courts in any Related Proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any Specified Proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any Specified Court that any Related Proceeding brought in any Specified Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

SECTION 18. Effect of Headings. The Section and Exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

SECTION 19. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:

“Applicable Time” means the time of each sale of any Securities or any securities pursuant to this Agreement.

“Capital Stock” means any Common Stock, Preferred Stock or other capital stock of the Company.

“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“EDGAR” means the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system.

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

“Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show” that is a “written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, and all free writing prospectuses that are listed in Exhibit E hereto, in each case in the form furnished (electronically or otherwise) to the Manager for use in connection with the offering of the Securities.

“Lien” means any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.

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“Organizational Documents” means (a) in the case of a corporation, its charter and by-laws; (b) in the case of a limited or general partnership, its partnership certificate, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its partnership agreement; (c) in the case of a limited liability company, its articles of organization, certificate of formation or similar organizational documents and its operating agreement, limited liability company agreement, membership agreement or other similar agreement; (d) in the case of a trust, its certificate of trust, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its trust agreement or other similar agreement; and (e) in the case of any other entity, the organizational and governing documents of such entity.

“Preferred Stock” means the Company’s preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share.

“Rule 163,” “Rule 164,” “Rule 172,” “Rule 405,” “Rule 415,” “Rule 424(b),” “Rule 430B,” “Rule 433,” “Rule 462(e)” “Rule 456” and “Rule 457” refer to such rules under the Securities Act.

“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof.

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information that is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Replacement Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; all references in this Agreement to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (other than any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that, pursuant to Rule 433, are not required to be filed with the Commission) shall be deemed to include the copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; and all references in this Agreement to “supplements” to the Prospectus shall include, without limitation, any supplements, “wrappers” or similar materials prepared in connection with any offering, sale or private placement of any Placement Securities by the Manager outside of the United States.

SECTION 20. Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Manager, and the Manager represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Manager or by the Company, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents and warrants that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. For the purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that all free writing prospectuses, if any, listed in Exhibit E hereto are Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses.

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SECTION 21. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

(a) the Manager is acting solely as agent and/or principal in connection with the public offering of the Securities and in connection with each transaction contemplated by this Agreement and the process leading to such transactions, and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company or any of its respective affiliates, stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and the Manager, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether or not the Manager has advised or is advising the Company on other matters, and the Manager has no obligation to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement;

(b) the public offering price of the Securities set forth in this Agreement was not established by the Manager;

(c) it is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(d) the Manager has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and it has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;

(e) it is aware that the Manager and its respective affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Manager has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and

(f) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Manager for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Manager shall not have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to it in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on its behalf or in right of it or the Company, employees or creditors of Company.

[Signature Page Follows]

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Manager and the Company in accordance with its terms.

[Signature Page to Equity Distribution Agreement]

EXHIBIT A

FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Equity Distribution Agreement between The GEO Group, Inc. (the “Company”) and [•] (the “Manager”) dated [•] (the “Agreement”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that the Manager sell up to [*] of the Company’s shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at a minimum market price of $[*] per share.

[ADDITIONAL SALES PARAMETERS MAY BE ADDED, SUCH AS THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH SALES ARE REQUESTED TO BE MADE, SPECIFIC DATES THE SHARES MAY NOT BE SOLD ON, THE MANNER IN WHICH SALES ARE TO BE MADE BY THE MANAGER, AND/OR THE CAPACITY IN WHICH THE MANAGER MAY ACT IN SELLING SHARES (AS PRINCIPAL, AGENT, OR BOTH)]

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EXHIBIT B

AUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS FOR PLACEMENT NOTICES AND ACCEPTANCES

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EXHIBIT C

FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY COUNSEL

1. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of the State of Florida and the Company has all power and authority necessary to own or hold its properties and to conduct the businesses in which it is engaged.

2. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act. Insofar as is known to us, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the Act and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or are contemplated or threatened by the Commission. Any required filing of the base prospectus and the Prospectus or any supplements thereto pursuant to the Securities Act have been made in the manner and within the time period required by the Securities Act.

3. The Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than the financial statements, the related schedules and other financial data, as to which we do not express an opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

4. Each of the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and filed with the Commission prior to the date hereof (other than the financial statements and schedules and other financial data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we express no opinion), at the time they became effective or were filed with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

5. Each Equity Distribution Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

6. The Shares have been duly authorized for sale pursuant to each Equity Distribution Agreement and any Placement Notice, and, when issued and delivered to the purchasers thereof against payment therefor in accordance with the terms thereof, such Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of any preemptive or similar rights that entitle or will entitle any person to acquire any Shares upon the issuance thereof by the Company arising under the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company or Florida law.

7. The Company’s equity capitalization conforms to the description of the capital stock contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. There are no preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for or to purchase any Common Stock of the Company arising by operation of law or under the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company or Florida law. To our knowledge, except as described in the Prospectus, there are no warrants, options or similar rights to purchase any shares of Common Stock of the Company.

8. The Shares conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

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9. The Shares are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the New York Stock Exchange.

10. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

11. No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required under Applicable Laws in connection with the transactions contemplated in each Equity Distribution Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Securities Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by each Agent in the manner contemplated in each Equity Distribution Agreement and any Placement Notice and the Prospectus, the clearance of such offering with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., any notice of issuance required to be delivered to the New York Stock Exchange and such other approvals as have been obtained.

12. The execution, delivery and performance of each Equity Distribution Agreement by the Company, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by each Equity Distribution Agreement will not (a) constitute a breach of or a default under, or result in the creation of a security interest or a lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under the contracts identified on Exhibit A hereto to which the Company is party, (b) result in the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) under the contracts identified on Exhibit B receiving the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or (c) violate the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, violate any of the Applicable Laws or to our knowledge, violate any statute or any order, rule or regulation known to us of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets.

13. To our knowledge, neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Shares as contemplated by each Equity Distribution Agreement or any Placement Notice gives rise to any rights for or relating to the registration of any securities of the Company with respect to such filing, offering or sale other than rights which have been waived or satisfied.

In addition, we have participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company, representatives of the independent public accountants for the Company, general counsel of the Company, representatives of the Manager and Manager Counsel, at which conferences the Disclosure Package and Prospectus Supplement were discussed. Although we have not independently verified and are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (other than as specified above), on the basis of the foregoing, nothing has come to our attention that has caused us to believe that (1) the Registration Statement, at the time such Registration Statement became effective (including the information deemed to be part of the Registration Statement at the time it became effective pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements

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therein not misleading, or (2) the Prospectus, as of the date thereof, or as of the date hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (it being understood that the foregoing comments in this paragraph do not include or cover the financial statements and notes thereto and related schedules and other financial data contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or the exhibits to the Registration Statement).

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EXHIBIT D

OFFICER’S CERTIFICATE

The undersigned, the duly qualified and elected Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, of The GEO Group, Inc. (the “Company”), a Florida corporation, does hereby certify in such capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(o) of the several equity distribution agreements dated December 28, 2023 between the Company (the “Company”) and each of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC, Imperial Capital, LLC, JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, Noble Capital Markets, Inc., Northland Securities, Inc., StoneX Financial Inc., Virtu Americas LLC, and Wedbush Securities Inc., as managers (the “Managers”), respectively (each, an “Equity Distribution Agreement”), that to the knowledge of the undersigned:

(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 5 of the Equity Distribution Agreement are true and correct on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof, except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date; and

(ii) The Company has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement at or prior to the date hereof (other than those conditions waived by the Managers).

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EXHIBIT E

ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES

None

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SCHEDULE I

SUBSIDIARIES OF THE COMPANY

ADAPPT, LLC (PA)

Arapahoe County Residential Center, LLC (CO)

Australasian Correctional Investment, Ltd. (AUS)

Australasian Correctional Services Pty. Ltd. (AUS)

B.I. Incorporated (CO)

BI Puerto Rico, Inc. (PR)

BI of Australia Pty Ltd (AUS)

Behavioral Acquisition Corp. (DE)

Behavioral Holding Corp. (DE)

BI Mobile Breath, Inc. (DE)

BII Holding Corporation (DE)

BII Holding I Corporation (DE)

Broad Real Estate Holdings LLC (DE)

Canadian Correctional Management, Inc. (CAN)

CCC Wyoming Properties, LLC (WY)

CCMAS LLC (DE)

CEC Intermediate Holdings LLC (DE)

CEC Parent Holdings LLC (DE)

CEC Staffing Solutions, LLC (NJ)

CiviGenics, Inc. (MA)

CiviGenics Management Services, LLC (MA)

CiviGenics- Texas, Inc. (TX)

Clearstream Development Courthouse Commons, LLC (DE)

Clearstream Development, LLC (DE)

Community Alternatives (WY)

Community Corrections, LLC (CO)

Community Education Centers, Inc. (DE)

Cornell Companies Inc. (DE)

Cornell Corrections Management, LLC (DE)

Cornell Corrections of Rhode Island, Inc. (DE)

Cornell Corrections of Texas, Inc. (DE)

Correctional Properties, LLC (DE)

Correctional Properties Prison Finance LLC (DE)

Correctional Services Corporation, LLC (DE)

Correctional Systems, LLC (DE)

CPT Limited Partner, LLC (DE)

CPT Operating Partnership L.P. (DE)

CSC of Tacoma LLC (DE)

Cypress-Spring Investments, LLC (DE)

Fenton Security, LLC (PA)

Florina Insurance Company (VT)

Four Streams Investment, LLC (DE)

GEO Acquisition II, Inc. (DE)

Sch. I-1

GEO Amey Ltd. (UK)

GEO Australasia Pty, Ltd. (AUS)

GEO Australia Management Services Pty, Ltd. (AUS)

GEO Care LLC (DE)

GEO CPM, Inc. (DE)

GEO CC3, Inc. (DE)

GEO Corrections Holdings, Inc. (FL)

GEO Design Services, Inc. (FL)

GEO FIC Holdings, LLC (FL)

GEO Holdings I, Inc. (DE)

GEO International Holdings, LLC (DE)

GEO International Services, Inc. (DE)

GEO Leasing, LLC (FL)

GEO Management Services, Inc. (DE)

GEO MCF LP, LLC (DE)

GEO Operations, Inc. (FL)

GEO RE Holdings LLC (DE)

GEO Reentry of Alaska, Inc. (AK)

GEO Reentry Services, LLC (FL)

GEO Reentry, Inc. (DE)

GEO Secure Services, LLC (FL)

GEO Transport, Inc. (FL)

GEO/DE/MC/03, LLC (DE)

GEO/DEL/R/02, Inc. (DE)

GEO/DEL/T/02, Inc. (DE)

GEO/FL/01, Inc. (FL)

GEO/FL/02, Inc. (FL)

GEO/FL/03, Inc. (FL)

Highpoint Investments, LLC (DE)

MCF GP, LLC (DE)

Minsec Companies, LLC (PA)

Minsec Treatment, LLC (PA)

Municipal Corrections Finance, L.P. (DE)

Pacific Rim Employment Pty, Ltd. (AUS)

Protocol Criminal Justice, Inc. (FL)

Park 19 Holdings, LLC (DE)

Patriotic Partners Inc., LLC (DE)

Premier Custodial Group Limited (UK)

Premier Custodial Services Limited (UK)

Premier Custodial Services Group Limited (UK)

Premier Prison Services Limited (UK)

Protocol Criminal Justice, Inc. (FL)

Public Properties Development and Leasing LLC (DE)

Ravenhall Finance Co Pty Limited (AUS)

SECON, Inc. (MA)

Sentencing Concepts, Inc. (CA)

Sch. I-2

South African Custodial Holdings Pty Ltd. (SA)

South African Custodial Management Pty Ltd. (SA)

South African Custodial Services Pty Ltd. (SA)

Strategic Portfolio Solutions San Diego, LLC (CA)

Strategic Portfolio Solutions, LLC (TX)

The GEO Group Australasia Pty Ltd. (AUS)

The GEO Group Australia Pty Ltd. (AUS)

The GEO Group Limited (UK)

The GEO Group UK Limited (UK)

WBP Leasing, LLC (DE)

WCC Development, Inc. (FL)

WCC Financial, Inc. (DE)

Sch. I-3

Exhibit 5.1

				Akerman LLP Three Brickell City Centre 98 Southeast Seventh Street Suite 1100 Miami, FL 33131   T: 305 374 5600 F: 305 374 5095

December 28, 2023

The GEO Group, Inc.

4955 Technology Way

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Re: Issuance of up to $300,000,000 of shares of common stock of The GEO Group, Inc.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to The GEO Group, Inc., a Florida corporation (the “Company”) in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company from time to time of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, having an aggregate offering price of up to $300,000,000 (the “Shares”), pursuant to the several Equity Distribution Agreements, dated December 28, 2023 (the “Agreements”) between the Company and each of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC, Imperial Capital, LLC, JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, Noble Capital Markets, Inc., Northland Securities, Inc., StoneX Financial Inc., Virtu Americas LLC and Wedbush Securities Inc. The Shares have been registered on a Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (Registration No. 333-275219), which became effective upon filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) on October 30, 2023 (the “Registration Statement”).

This opinion letter is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.

In connection with this opinion, and as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth, we have examined (i) the Registration Statement, including the prospectus contained therein, (ii) the Company’s prospectus supplement, dated December 28, 2023, filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (including the documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein) (the “Prospectus Supplement”), and (iii) the executed Agreements. We have also examined such corporate records, documents, instruments and certificates of public officials and of the Company that we have deemed necessary for the purpose of rendering the opinions set forth herein. We have also reviewed such matters of law as we have considered necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion set forth below.

With your permission, we have made and relied upon the following assumptions, without any investigation or inquiry by us, and our opinion expressed below is subject to, and limited and qualified by the effect of, all such assumptions: (i) all corporate records furnished to us by the Company are accurate and complete; (ii) the Registration Statement, the Agreements and the Prospectus Supplement filed by the Company with the Commission are identical to the forms of documents that we have reviewed; (iii) all statements as to factual matters that are contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus Supplement (including the exhibits thereto) are accurate and complete; (iv) the Company will sell and issue the Shares in accordance with the manner described in the Prospectus Supplement and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Agreements; and (v) with respect to documents that we have reviewed in connection with this opinion letter, all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic, all documents submitted to us as certified, facsimile or photostatic copies conform to the originals of such documents, all such original documents are authentic, the signatures on all documents are genuine, and all natural persons who have executed any of the documents have the legal capacity to do so.

akerman.com

The GEO Group, Inc.

December 28, 2023

Page 2

Based on and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized, and, upon due execution of the Agreements by the parties thereto, and upon issuance and delivery of the Shares against full payment therefor as provided in the Agreements, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We express no opinion as to matters governed by laws of any jurisdiction other than the federal securities laws of the United States and the laws of the State of Florida. We neither express nor imply any obligation with respect to any other laws or the laws of any other jurisdiction or of the United States. For purposes of this opinion, we assume that the Shares will be issued in compliance with all applicable state securities or blue sky laws.

This opinion letter is provided for use solely in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Agreements, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, and may not be used, circulated, quoted or otherwise relied upon for any other purposes without our express written consent.

We assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion letter if any applicable laws change after the date of this opinion letter or if we become aware after the date of this opinion letter of any facts, whether existing before or arising after the date hereof, that might change the opinions expressed above. This opinion letter is limited to the matters expressly stated herein and no opinions are to be inferred or implied beyond the opinions expressly so stated.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter with the Commission in connection with the filing of the Prospectus Supplement referred to above. We also hereby consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission issued thereunder.