Organization and Operations - Additional Information (Detail) ft² in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 ft² Facility Property Segment Bed	Jun. 10, 2016 Bed
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Number of Operating segments | Segment	3
Number of beds at the facility | Bed		112
Number of properties leased to third parties and used by government agencies	27
CoreCivic Safety
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Number of facilities operated by the company	51
Number of facilities owned by the company	44
Number of beds at the facility | Bed	73,000
CoreCivic Community
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Number of centers owned and operated by company	26
Number of beds at the center | Bed	5,000
CoreCivic Properties
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Line Items]
Number of properties leased to third parties and used by government agencies | Property	27
Number of square feet | ft²	2.3