(CNN) Prison life won't be pretty for Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL player and convicted murderer sentenced to life without parole .

After correction officers evaluate him, he will be shipped to Massachusetts' flagship maximum-security prison, one of the most high-tech jails in the United States with no history of breakouts: the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, about 40 miles outside downtown Boston.

It's called Souza, for short, and it's the state's newest prison, opened in 1998, with a matrix of 366 cameras recording live 24 hours a day and a microwave detection perimeter with taut wire.

"I don't know the date, but he'll be going there. That's the maximum-security facility," Department of Corrections spokesman Darren Duarte said.

Legal advocates for inmates describe Souza as sterile and violent at once. Its diverse demographic includes the young and the old, many of whom are also doing life. One stubborn problem is that opiates are smuggled to inmates, the legal advocates said.

Clean and dangerous

"It's very shiny and clean looking and very sterile," said Leslie Walker, executive director of Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, who has been visiting the Souza prison about every six weeks for the past 15 years and serves indigent prisoners there.

But, she added: "It is a very dangerous prison that is right now experiencing a veritable flood of opiates."

Officials said Hernandez, 25, is being processed at the maximum-security Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Cedar Junction in Walpole, just a handful of miles from Gillette Stadium, where he once played tight end for the New England Patriots under a five-year $40 million contract.

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The prison system has yet to determine where to initially place Hernandez in Souza: solitary confinement; the less harsh but restricted block; the general population; a privileged section known as the "lifers block," for those serving a life sentence; or the "kitchen block," for those who work in the prison kitchen.

"At this point in time, we will figure out where he belongs in the population once the processing of Hernandez is complete," Duarte said. "Right now, he'll be treated like a regular inmate when he walked into the door, but they will figure all that out."

Helicopter follows him to prison

Hernandez was sent immediately for processing after Wednesday's sentencing and jury conviction , Duarte said. A news outlet helicopter followed Hernandez's transfer to MCI Cedar Junction.

Prison officials will be concerned about Hernandez's safety and whether any enemies, gangs or headline-seeking inmates will try to hurt Hernandez, who will become Souza's most famous resident.

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"There could be prisoners with a beef who are out to get him," Walker said. "Then he's going to have to be separated, and it's going to be challenging for prison officers and perhaps for him.

"The good news is that the superintendent of Souza-Baranowski is very smart and thorough and a decent human being, who I'm sure will do everything he can to keep Mr. Hernandez safe," Walker added. "The person at the top sets the tone. He's fairly new and he's doing everything he can to make sure the prison is as safe as possible."

That superintendent, Osvaldo Vidal, couldn't be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

Autograph seekers?

Because of his celebrity, Hernandez may find himself signing autographs for other inmates and even guards, said Larry Levine, a former federal inmate who spent 10 years in high- and minimum-security prisons.

"There will be a lot of staff that will treat him like an animal that he is, but there will be other staff that will want his autograph and treat him like a star," said Levine, who founded Wall Street Prison Consultants, which advises offenders and convicts heading to prison.

Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Former NFL football player Aaron Hernandez attends his murder trial in Fall River, Massachusetts, on Thursday, January 29. The state accused Hernandez of orchestrating the shooting death of semi-pro player Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancee's sister, in 2013. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder, but he was convicted on Wednesday, April 15, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez is led into a Boston courtroom to be arraigned in May 2014. Evidence collected in Lloyd's death investigation led to two additional murder charges against Hernandez in a separate case in Boston. In that case, Hernandez is accused of shooting Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, allegedly over a spilled drink at a nightclub. The double shooting took place in July 2012, almost a year before Lloyd was killed. Hernandez, who pleaded not guilty, will be tried in that case after the Lloyd trial. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez At a news conference in May 2014, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley announces that Hernandez has been indicted for the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez is brought into the Attleboro, Massachusetts, District Court for his arraignment on June 26, 2013. He was charged with first-degree murder in Lloyd's death. Hernandez was released by his NFL team, the New England Patriots, less than two hours after his arrest. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez catches a pass during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez scores a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVI. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez celebrates his Super Bowl touchdown. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez answers questions during Super Bowl Media Day on January 31, 2012. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez scores a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills on January 1, 2012. Hernandez played three seasons with the Patriots, catching 18 touchdowns. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Tattoos on Hernandez's arm are visible during a pregame warmup on December 4, 2011. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez looks up after being tackled during a game in Philadelphia on November 27, 2011. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez carries the ball as the Patriots play the Cincinnati Bengals in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 10, 2010. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez Hernandez, center, reacts during the SEC Championship game between the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide on December 6, 2008. Hernandez's Gators went on to win the national title. Hide Caption 13 of 13

In the long run, however, it may not matter much in what section of the prison Hernandez does his time.

About 90% of the inmates in the maximum-security prison are locked in their cells for 19 hours a day, said Walker, the legal advocate.

"It's pretty grim," Walker said.

The cells

Souza has slightly larger cells than most other Massachusetts prisons, but not by much, Walker said.

Even so, the cells are stark, small rooms of painted cinder-block walls with metal fixtures: a bunk mounted to the wall, a toilet and sink combination, a small writing shelf attached to the wall, and a nearby small stool affixed to the floor, Walker said.

There's also a shelf for a small television, which must have a clear back for easy inspection, Walker said.

With the exception of the TV, which inmates can buy for under $200, all furnishings are metal and bolted down to keep inmates from throwing them, she said.

Photos: Athletes charged with murder Photos: Athletes charged with murder Convicted murderer and former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found hanged in his Massachusetts prison cell Wednesday morning, officials said, just days after his acquittal in a separate double murder case Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged with murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013. Pistorius, the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Olympics, was convicted of murder and sentenced to six years in prison. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Lawrence Phillips, a former NFL running back who was awaiting trial on charges of killing his prison cellmate last year, died in January after being found unresponsive in his prison cell, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. The death of Phillips, 40, was being investigated as a suicide, the department said. Phillips was sent to a California prison in 2008 after being convicted of domestic violence, false imprisonment and vehicle theft charges. While serving a 31-year sentence, authorities say, he killed his cellmate in April 2015. A trial was anticipated in Kern County, California. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Rae Carruth , who was a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, became the first active NFL player ever charged with first-degree murder. His pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, was killed in December 1999, and prosecutors said he arranged for her to be killed in a drive-by shooting. Carruth was eventually convicted of conspiring in her murder, and he is now in prison. The unborn child, a boy, survived. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Middleweight boxer Rubin Carter , known as "Hurricane" in the ring, served 18 years in prison for a triple homicide in a bar in 1966. A federal judge overturned his sentence and that of his alleged accomplice, John Artis, in 1985, ruling that the conviction was based on "racial stereotypes, fears and prejudices." Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Groundbreaking skateboarder Mark "Gator" Rogowski confessed to beating and raping Jessica Bergsten, then choking her to death and burying her in the desert in 1991. Bergsten was a friend of Rogowski's former girlfriend, and Rogowski testified that he acted out of misplaced anger against his ex. Rogowski was denied parole in 2011 and will not be eligible for parole again until 2018. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and two others were charged with murder in 2000 after a fight in a popular Atlanta bar district left two men dead on the street. The murder charges against Lewis were dropped after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and testified against his friends; they were later acquitted. Lewis announced his retirement before helping the Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2013. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza , a former goalie for the Brazilian soccer club Flamengo, was convicted in March 2013 for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He was sentenced to 22 years and three months for the murder of Eliza Samudio, who disappeared in 2010. Souza, his current girlfriend and his ex-wife were among nine people charged with torturing and murdering Samudio, who had been trying to prove Souza had fathered her son. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Athletes charged with murder Although O.J. Simpson was found not guilty, the former football star's 1995 murder trial has kept him a household name. Simpson was acquitted in the death of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman. In October 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison on multiple counts, including armed robbery and kidnapping, in connection with a robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2007. Hide Caption 9 of 9

There are two windows: one roughly 4 by 20 inches with clear glass that looks outdoors to a wall, building or trees, and a tiny window on the cell door, which has two slots, for handcuffing in the middle and ankle cuffing at the foot of the door, she said.

"There's very little to do," Walker said of inmate life. "It was built as a punishment facility. The thing in corrections is that you don't want people to like it there. Some people have been there since it opened, and those people are excruciatingly bored or scared or both."

Hard time in solitary

To combat opiate use among inmates, prison guards use narcotics-sniffing dogs for inspections, Walker said.

"It's pretty pathetic. I have clients (in Souza prison) who are heroin addicts who are trying to get clean," Walker said.

There also are gangs in the prison, she said. As for violence, one elderly inmate was beaten to death last year, Walker said.

If Hernandez finds himself in solitary confinement, it won't be pleasant, Walker said.

"Solitary confinement is a kind of torture that no one does well in. The lack of meaningful sensory stimulus and contact drives people mad," Walker said.

Initially, "prison officials may feel they have to put him there for his safety, but I hope not," Walker said. "It's very hard time."