Debt Non-Recourse Debt (Details)			3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 Taxable Revenue Bonds STLDC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Subordinate Notes STLDC USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 Non Recourse Debt Northwest Detention Center [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 Australian Subsidiaries Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2013 Australian Subsidiaries Non Recourse Debt [Member] AUD	Dec. 31, 2012 Australian Subsidiaries Non Recourse Debt [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Australian Subsidiaries Non Recourse Debt [Member] AUD	Mar. 31, 2013 South Texas Detention Complex Carrying Value USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 57,000,000					$ 49,500,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Rate Range, Minimum			4.63%		4.10%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Rate Range, Maximum			5.07%
Current Portion of Non recourse Debt				5,500,000	6,500,000
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current				6,300,000	9,500,000
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Noncurrent				8,900,000	4,200,000	5,200,000	5,000,000
Non-Recourse Debt	$ 116,839,000	$ 123,482,000		$ 17,200,000	$ 67,700,000	$ 33,300,000	31,900,000	$ 34,800,000	33,600,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate Terms						variable rate quoted by certain Australian banks plus 140 basis points	variable rate quoted by certain Australian banks plus 140 basis points