Schedule of Total Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,529,552	$ 3,498,938
Safety
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	2,480,104	2,532,319
Community
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	221,391	233,179
CoreCivic Properties
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	374,144	352,681
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 453,913	$ 380,759