WASHINGTON -- The wake-up call comes at 6 a.m. The pay tops out at 40-cents an hour. The sleeping accommodations are inhospitable: either a dorm-room style bunkbed or a cot behind a locked cell door.

SLIDESHOW: A Look At Federal Prisons

If U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson of Richmond, Virginia sentences Michael Vick to federal prison in December, the suspended NFL quarterback will trade his glamorous, superstar lifestyle for a humble existence inside one of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons 200 federal correctional institutions.

The Bureau of Prisons houses 199,409 federal prisoners in a wide range of facilities. The most dangerous and violent inmates – as well as those who pose the greatest risk of escape -- are detained in maximum security prisons, which include individual cells, barbed-wire gates, and heavily-armed guards. Other, less dangerous, inmates are kept in medium security, dormitory-style facilities, which use fewer guards and less exterior fencing.

Bureau spokespeople would not comment on the likely security level necessary for Vick, who pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting-related charge (Conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and sponsoring a dog in an animal fighting venture). But they did speak generally about the types of lifestyles federal inmates lead.

All federal prisons, regardless of security level, offer the same type of duties and amenities for prisoners. Vick would be required to work a 7 ½ hour day inside the facility. His work day would begin at 7:30 a.m. and could include janitorial duties, yard work, or cafeteria service. His pay would range from 12-cents an hour to 40-cents an hour, with an unpaid lunch at 11 a.m. Prison staff would assign Vick his job. He would not have his own choice. Prison spokespeople say landscaping work is often the most popular because it allows the inmate to work outdoors.

The money Vick earns could be spent in the prison commissary. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said the most popular items in federal commissaries include “personal hygiene items”, such as hair-care products, deodorants, and soap. Prisoners can also spend their earnings on food items, such as pre-packaged cookies and chips.

Vick would be served three full meals each day inside the prison cafeteria. Breakfast begins at 6:30am. Dinner is usually set for 5 p.m. Dinners feature a salad bar, with a hearty portion of vegetables and "both hot and cold food items," Morgantown Federal Prison spokeswoman Veronica Fernandez said. Fellow inmates will serve the food, which inmates often eat while seated at four-person tables inside the cafeteria.

In some low-security federal prisons, inmates are often housed in "dorm-style" rooms, with bunk beds for 12 inmates, Fernandez said, “Those rooms also include a desk, a chair, and a small amount of floor space.”

The Atlanta Falcons star would be allowed to see visitors, “but only visitors who the inmate clears in advance with the Bureau of Prisons,” Ponce said. Unsolicited, unexpected visitors are turned away at federal prison facilities. Inmates must fill out a form with a list of their approved visitors upon their arrival and orientation at the prison.

Vick would have no access to the internet or email. Ponce said, “Stamps are popular items in the commissaries.” Though he would be allowed use of a telephone, usage is also limited. To communicate with family and friends, inmates are often provided with pens and paper to write letters. Vick would likely be allowed to make collect telephone calls from public phones inside the prison. In some facilities, inmates are allowed to spend their prison earnings on telephone “credits," which are redeemable for free phone calls, Fernandez said.

Federal inmates are allowed free-time in the evening, “for recreation, religious activities, or to watch television,” Ponce said. The Bureau of Prisons also allows its staff to organize sports activities. “They’ll play whichever sport is `In-season’. During baseball season they’d play baseball,” Ponce added. When asked if federal inmates are allowed to play football, Ponce responded, “Yes, during football season, they often do.”

Inmates are also given opportunities to exercise on running tracks and stationary bikes, said Ponce. She said most federal correctional facilities also offer arts and crafts and library services to their inmates.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons would ultimately select the facility in which Vick would be housed. “We try to place (inmates) within 500 miles of home,” Ponce said, “That helps them maintain ties to their families and communities. Our review found nearly a dozen federal correctional facilities within 500 miles of Vick’s Smithfield, Va. property. There are medium-security correction facilities in Beckley, WV, Morgantown, WV and Cumberland, Md. There are lower-security “Federal Correctional Complexes” in Petersburg, Va. and Butner, N.C. There is a maximum security prison in rural Lee County, Va. and a privately-operated federal facility in Winton, N.C.

The Petersburg, Va. complex is closest to Vick’s home and to the Richmond Court in which he pleaded guilty. Petersburg currently houses 3,444 federal inmates.

The Cumberland, Md. and Morgantown, WV facilities already house higher-profile inmates, though none with Vick’s level of fame. Disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff is serving a term in Cumberland. Former U.S. Congressman Robert Ney, of Ohio, is serving his in Morgantown.

Sentencing for Vick is scheduled for December 10 at 10 a.m. in Judge Hudson’s courtroom. In many cases, inmates aren’t required to report to the prison immediately upon sentencing. Congressman Ney surrendered himself to the Morgantown facility nearly 6 weeks after his sentencing.

You can email Scott MacFarlane at scott.macfarlane@coxtv.com