STANDISH, Mich. -- Plans to shut down the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility are going ahead as busses began transporting prisoners to alternative sights Thursday.

More than 100 inmates moved out, a sign to prison employees that the end was near.

One-hundred fourty prisoners were transferred to other correctional facilities in the state.

Several busses lined up outside the maximum security prison Thursday morning.

The Standish site houses about 568 inmates. Seven other Mid-Michigan prisons are also on the chopping block, most of them prison camps for minimum security prisoners.

Hiawatha Correctional Facility in Chippewa County as well as four Northern Michigan prison camps – Camp Cusino in Alger County, Camp Kitwen in Baraga County, Camp Lehman in Crawford County and Camp Ottawa in Iron County – are scheduled to be closed.

Muskegon Correction Facility and Camp White Lake are the two other correctional facilities to be closed in the state.

Combined, the closure of the eight prisons and prison camps will result in the layoff of an estimated 1,000 employees.

The Catholic diocese of Saginaw – Standish Parish will be hosting a news conference on how the prison closing would affect the community at 11 a.m. Friday.

It will be hosted by Father James Fitzpatrick at The Lord Catholic Church on West Cedar Street in Standish.