U.S. district court searches sexual assault. (Female Prisoners).

Colman v. Vasquez, 142 F.Supp.2d 226 (D.Conn. 2001). A female inmate placed in a special prison unit for victims of sexual abuse filed a [section] 1983 action against prison officials alleging that she was sexually abused by a male guard, and challenging the practice of having male guards conduct pat searches of female inmates. The district court denied the defendants' motions to dismiss, finding that fact issues remained. The court found that a male prison guard's repeated, involuntary, harassing and intimidating contact with a female inmate can constitute a substantial risk of harm under the Eighth Amendment, and that prison officials were required to investigate the female inmate's complaint that she had been sexually assaulted. (Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, Connecticut)