Specifically, prisoners fitting any part of the following description are more likely to be targeted: young, small in size, physically weak, white, gay, first offender, possessing 'feminine' characteristics such as long hair or a high voice being unassertive, unaggressive, shy, intellectual, not street-smart, or 'passive' or having been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor. Rather, a broad range of factors are correlated with increased vulnerability to rape, some related to perceived femininity, some entirely unrelated. But a prisoner does not have to look like a woman to be vulnerable to such abuse. Supreme Court-arguing that as a transsexual she was extremely likely to face sexual assault in prison. (187) Brutally raped within two weeks of arriving, Farmer sued in federal court-later bringing the case all the way up to the U.S. A clear example is that of Dee Farmer, a young preoperative transsexual with 'overtly feminine characteristics' who was placed in regular housing in a maximum-security federal prison. Prisons - Predators and VictimsĬertain prisoners are targeted for sexual assault the moment they enter a penal facility: their age, looks, sexual orientation, and other characteristics mark them as candidates for abuse.