Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,713,804	$ 3,709,315
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,556,771	2,589,622
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	228,462	234,475
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	667,959	676,374
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 260,612	$ 208,844