Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed lacks "sympathy or humanity" for saying there's nothing wrong with denying prisoners physical contact with their families, said a lawmaker.

Padang Serai MP N Surendran said this in response to Nur Jazlan's remarks yesterday that inmates are not supposed to have physical contact with their families as "prisoners don't have freedoms".

"His response will be shocking and painful to the thousands of family members of prisoners who are desperate for just a touch of their loved ones.

"His remarks are cruel and irresponsible, and display a lack of sympathy or humanity," Surendran said in a statement today.

He added that Nur Jazlan was "ignorant of the law" regarding prisoners.

"Can Nur Jazlan point out where in the Prison Act 1995 or the Federal Constitution it is stated that prisoners lose all their freedoms? He cannot do so, because there is no such thing."

Surendran, who is one of jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers, had called on the Home Ministry to allow contact visits between prisoners and family members.

This was after a recent event organised by the Kajang Prison which saw 50 selected prisoners allowed to have contact visits with their family members.

The PKR lawmaker said some form of physical contact is allowed between prisoners and their family members in other prison systems, citing those of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.