Prison staff tried to revive a man who died inside the Alexander Maconochie Centre after his cell mate raised the alarm about his condition.
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ACT Policing have opened an investigation into the death of the 29-year-old man, which is the second inside the prison within the last 12 months.
Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury appeared on ABC Canberra on Monday morning to answer questions about the incident.
"On Saturday night around 7.30 there was a call made to AMC staff ... by a fellow cellmate concerned about his cellmate," Mr Rattenbury said.
"They performed CPR but unfortunately the detainee did die.
"Police are investigating, which is standard procedure whenever there is a death in custody. And there will be a coronial inquest."
Indigenous inmate Steven Freeman died inside the prison in May 2016, with an autopsy finding a toxic amount of methadone in his system.
Mr Rattenbury said he did not have any details to suggest there was a link to methadone in the latest death.
"I have no information on the cause of death at this stage. I'm not in a position to make any of those connections yet," he said.
The Justice and Community Safety Directorate would also be undertaking a comprehensive examination of response procedures and other factors in coming days, he added.
