This phase II trial is studying how well giving docetaxel together with lycopene works in treating patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemoprevention is the use of certain drugs, such as lycopene, to keep cancer from forming. Giving docetaxel together with lycopene may be an effective treatment for prostate cancer.