Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 4,041,203	$ 3,791,631
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,593,986	2,606,127
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	250,022	275,882
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	784,397	682,249
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 412,798	$ 227,373