An inmate died in Her Majesty’s Prison in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating regional prisons in the country.

Officials from the regional Ministry of Justice confirmed today that the man died after being transferred to the hospital on Saturday.

The ministry also said in an email that the inmate's “sudden death” is under investigation.

This is at least the second death at the Saint John prison this year, following the death of another man at the facility in August, and at least the eighth death that has occurred in provincial prisons since 2017.

Her Majesty’s Prison was first opened in 1859, and its harsh conditions led regional court judges to reduce the sentences handed down to some offenders.

However, a recently released email in October through access to information legislation indicates that the facility houses an "unprecedented" number of inmates.