Walking throughout Boulder County’s new alternative sentencing facility is not unlike walking through a college dormitory.

There are rooms lined with bunk beds, communal bathrooms, common rooms with couches and chairs, meeting rooms and shared laundry facilities. Each dorm room has a large window; some have a view of Boulder’s Flatirons.

The facility is named after former Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, who, during his 20 years as sheriff, pushed for an alternative sentencing facility in the county.

“What an honor it has been to serve this community and to be sheriff for so long, and what honor to serve a community that is willing to tax themselves for a period of time to do great things,” Pelle said Friday.

Officials hope the environment at the new center will improve the quality of

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