Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,748,845	$ 3,655,660
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,601,757	2,621,880
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	275,799	281,198
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	684,719	606,770
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 186,570	$ 145,812