The sister of Mark O'Connor, who died in Canberra jail's on Saturday, says she doesn't want him to become the subject of political debate.
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"He was my brother and he made mistakes but he was a good man," his sister told Fairfax Media.
The family have not been told anything about the cause or circumstances of the 29-year-old's death at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, except that "there was no foul play", she said.
Mr O'Connor's family issued a statement on Wednesday, saying they were very upset.
"The Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) staff have been respectful and supportive," they said.
"We appreciate the media and public's interest, however, we do not wish to make this a political debate or blame game."
Mr O'Connor grew up in Canberra and was a father to a nine-year-old boy.
He was sentenced to jail in December 2014 for a crime-spree committed earlier that year, and was eligible for release in March 2019.
ACT Policing are investigating the second death at the Alexander Maconochie Centre within 12 months. Prison staff tried to revive Mr O'Connor after a cell mate raised concerns about his condition at 7.30pm. Police said he died roughly half an hour later.
On a facebook, Mr O'Connor wrote that that he would do anything to help family and friends. He loved R&B and rap music. On a photo of his son, he wrote "Daddy loves ya very much".
Mr O'Connor's girlfriend earlier said he was excited to get home and turn his life around.
"As much as he hated being in there and being confined, he looked at the bright side of things. He wanted to start a better life," she said.
In a message sent less than 24 hours before his death, the 29-year-old man told his girlfriend he was being locked back in his cell, and hoped she would have a good night.
"I'll email ya when thay [sic] let me out 2morrow k beautiful love ya," it read.
The death is the sixth at the prison since it opened in 2009: one was suicide, three were from natural causes. Indigenous inmate Steven Freeman died in May last year, prompting an independent inquiry that found significant flaws in the prison system. Mr O'Connor is the sixth.
The ACT government and Canberra liberals expressed condolences to the family. Justice minister Shane Rattenbury slammed remarks made by his opponent, Giulia Jones, which called the death an abject failure in the administration of justice.
"They are extremely premature given the cause of the death is not yet known," he said.
An ACT government spokeswoman said it was not answering any further questions about the matter at this time.
