Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2012 Amended Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Amended Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Amended Revolving Credit Facility Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Amended Revolving Credit Facility Maximum	Dec. 31, 2011 Senior Notes 6.25% Due 2013	Jan. 06, 2012 Senior Notes 6.25% Due 2013	Jun. 30, 2012 Senior Notes 6.25% Due 2013	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 6.25% Due 2013	Sep. 30, 2012 Senior Notes 6.25% Due 2013	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 7.75% Due 2017	Mar. 31, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Swingline Loans	Dec. 31, 2012 Letter of Credit	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 6.75% Due 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 6.75% Due 2014 Scenario 1	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 6.75% Due 2014 Scenario 2	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes 6.75% Due 2014 Scenario 3
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility maximum borrowing capacity				$ 785,000,000										$ 450,000,000	$ 30,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility initiation date														Dec. 31, 2007
Debt issuance costs, capitalized			6,000,000
Charge against write-off of loan costs									100,000				100,000				500,000
Revolving Credit Facility maturity date														Dec. 31, 2016
Line of credit interest on outstanding borrowings				At CCA's option, interest on outstanding borrowings of the Amended Revolving Credit Facility is based on either a base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.25% to 1.0% or a London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus a margin of 1.25% to 2.0% based on CCA's leverage ratio.
Base rate plus a margin				0.50%	0.25%	1.00%
LIBOR plus a margin				1.50%	1.25%	2.00%
Percentage of commitment fee to unfunded balance				0.30%
Sublimit for issuance of standby letters of credit				100,000,000
Borrowings under credit facility				655,000,000												26,000,000
Line of credit facility				104,000,000
Percentage of capital stock of foreign subsidiary secured by pledge under Revolving Credit Facilities				65.00%
Aggregate principal amount										375,000,000		465,000,000					150,000,000
Interest rate stated percentage of Senior Notes										6.25%		7.75%					6.75%
Unsecured senior notes issued date										Mar. 31, 2005		Jun. 30, 2009					Jan. 31, 2006
Note maturity date										Mar. 15, 2013		Jun. 01, 2017					Jan. 31, 2014
Maximum cash tender offer							150,000,000
Early tender deadline date							January 5, 2012
Total consideration offered upon tendering of senior notes							1,002.50
Principal amount of Senior Notes for which consideration is offered							1,000
Cash tender paid								57,500,000
Redemption of Senior Notes								277,500,000
Principal amount of Senior Notes outstanding after redemption								40,000,000			40,000,000
Amount charged against purchase and redemption of debt										1,400,000
Redemption date										April 16, 2012
Percentage of redemption price of the principal amount together with accrued and unpaid interest											100.00%						100.00%
Redemption date																		Jun. 14, 2012	Aug. 27, 2012	Dec. 19, 2012
Redeemable aggregate principal amount																		60,000,000	50,000,000	40,000,000
Issued price of Senior Notes												97.116%
Yield to maturity												8.25%
Percentage holding shares of subsidiaries guaranteeing the Senior Notes										100.00%		100.00%					100.00%
Percentage of Senior Notes offer price in connection with an asset sale	100.00%
Percentage of Senior Notes offer price in connection with change in control	101.00%
Revolving Credit Facility letters of credit outstanding	$ 26,000,000	$ 28,300,000