Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,670,380	$ 3,655,660
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,643,099	2,621,880
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	281,842	281,198
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	630,198	606,770
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 115,241	$ 145,812