Segment Reporting - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018 Property Segment Facility
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of Operating segments | Segment	3
CoreCivic Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of facilities operated by the company	51
Number of facilities owned by the company	44
CoreCivic Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of centers owned and operated by company	26
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of properties leased to third parties and used by government agencies | Property	27