Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,791,631	$ 3,655,660
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,606,127	2,621,880
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	275,882	281,198
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	682,249	606,770
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 227,373	$ 145,812