Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,498,938	$ 3,709,315
CoreCivic Safety segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,532,319	2,589,622
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	233,179	234,475
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	352,681	676,374
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 380,759	$ 208,844