Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,738,891	$ 3,655,660
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,627,372	2,621,880
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	274,592	281,198
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	665,925	606,770
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 171,002	$ 145,812