Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-27
STATE PRISON DEATH RATE
 LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY.
Sanitation, Food, Work and Morale
 the Faetors, Says Warden.

The Connecticut state prison at wetherSfeld enjoys the distinction of having the loest death rate of any similar institution in United States. The report shows that six deaths have occurred in the prison from natural causes since September, 191S- The population of the prison has averaged 6SS at nearly all times in the same length of time, hence the death rate has been 4.74 per thousand for a year The death rate in Sing Sing is nearly double that. and in many other pris- ons has been more than F per thous- and.
 Warden Ward A. Gardner attributes this low death rate to the sanitary conditions. the nourishing food the systematic work and the morale of the prison. In speaking of these con ditions, he said yesterday:
 As Clean as Serubhinq Can Make It.
 "The Connecticut State Prison is perhaps the cleanest in the world. By that I mean that the building itself is as sanitary as whitewash, paint and a constant scrubbing can make it. Every inch of the interior Is washed every week and the floors in the of- rubbed until they shine. Cleanliness has it's effect on the inmates, and our rigid rules regarding personal clean Illness make the whole prison as whole some and neat as anything can be.
 The food is varied and nutritious. Most of the people who are sent here come from homes where thep do not have good food or well cooked food Here, everything is the best. even though it is not a banquet and ev- cry bit of food is selected because of it's value as nourishment The coffee is the best grade and the flour is high class milling. The water is pure and the meats are fresh and well cooked. This tends to keep the pris- oners healthy in body.
 System in Work Shops.
 'The workshops are run on a sys- tematic basis with every man and woman able to work doing their full share. Nine hours work constitutes days work. The woFkmen are not hurried, and must do their work well. Hence. this has a tendency to make the men and women expert. When they become expert in shopwork. they know that they are doing something worth while and this has a good moral effect.
 "The rules of the prison are simple and strictly adhered to by everybody connected with the institution. There Is no looseness permitted by anybody, and this has caused the inmates to feel that they are in a better place than they might be in institutions in some other states.
 Men Can Earn Something.
 Another thing that has had a good moral effect has been the system whereby a man can earn something We had one man who sent as much as y20 a month to his family. Others earn from $5 to SIS monthly. With this they can buy newspapers or stamps to take a course in a corres- pondence school. We have 22 taking courses now, and they appreciate this and work hard for it. One young man finished an engineering course recently.
 Treated as Human Beings.
 The library of s,252 volumes is used by hundreds of the men and women, each being allowed to take two books weekly. Many have par italy educated themgelves in this way. It has tended to increase the efncien- cy and moral standard of the prison.
 We are not doing the Sing Sing prison stunts, but we believe that we have the right idea. and the results have proven that we are not going backward. The men are treated as human beings and with the treatment and cleanliness, the death rate should stay as low as ft is at present"