Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,424,196	$ 3,709,315
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,569,361	2,589,622
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	228,974	234,475
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	365,770	676,374
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 260,091	$ 208,844