Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,270,926	$ 3,498,938
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,423,603	2,532,319
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	215,236	233,179
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	365,766	352,681
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 266,321	$ 380,759