Goodwill - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 Facility	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) Facility	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Establishment of goodwill			This goodwill was established in connection with multiple business combination transactions.
Goodwill			$ 48,169,000	$ 40,927,000
Goodwill impairment charges			0
State of Texas
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Goodwill			$ 0
Number of facilities scheduled to expire in August 2017 | Facility			4
Number of facilities for which TDCJ selected other operators | Facility	3
Bartlett State Jail
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment charges		$ 300,000
Closing date of Bartlett facility			Jun. 24, 2017
CoreCivic Safety
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Goodwill			$ 7,900,000	7,900,000
CoreCivic Community
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Goodwill			$ 40,300,000	$ 33,000,000