Organization And Operations [Line Items]

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- Definition

The percentage of likelihood required for a tax position to be measured.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

Renewal of contract terms.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

Amount due from customers or clients, within one year of the balance sheet date (or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer), for goods or services (including trade receivables) that have been delivered or sold in the normal course of business, reduced to the estimated net realizable fair value by an allowance established by the entity of the amount it deems uncertain of collection.

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
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-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(3))
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- Definition

A valuation allowance for trade and other receivables due to an Entity within one year (or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer) that are expected to be uncollectible.

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- Definition

For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division.

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- Definition

This serves as a place to record data that is not required by accounting literature but is useful for readers of the financial statements as it relates to the details of an equity method investment in common stock. Such information may include the amount of change for a change in ownership (equity) percentage in a given period and the amount and type of the consideration given or received in relation to the change in ownership.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

Amount of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

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- Definition

Amount of cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle or new accounting pronouncement on retained earnings or other components of equity or net assets in the statement of financial position as of the beginning of the earliest period presented.

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Jan. 01, 2018
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts	$ 254,188	$ 229,885
Accounts receivable, allowances for doubtful accounts	$ 782	1,580
Equity method investment description	Investments in affiliates that are equal to or less than 50%-owned over which CoreCivic can exercise significant influence are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.
Percentage of likelihood required for a tax position to be measured	50.00%
Income tax (expense) benefit	$ (13,911)	$ (8,253)	$ (8,361)
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Income tax (expense) benefit	$ 1,000
Accounting Standards Update 2016-16 \| Subsequent Event
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Prepaid taxes to be written off to accumulated deficit				$ 2,600
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| Federal Correctional And Detention Authorities
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	48.00%	52.00%	51.00%
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| Federal Bureau Of Prisons
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	7.00%	9.00%	11.00%
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| United States Marshals Service
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	16.00%	15.00%	16.00%
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| United States Immigration And Customs Enforcement
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	25.00%	28.00%	24.00%
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| State Correctional Authorities
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	41.00%	38.00%	40.00%
Government Contracts Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net \| State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Percentage of revenues generated from government management contracts	6.00%	6.00%	10.00%
Minimum
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Renewal of contract terms	2 years
Maximum
Organization And Operations [Line Items]
Renewal of contract terms	5 years