The modern conditions for the execution of institutional measures and sanctions are loaded with many negative features, both in Europe and Croatia. Most countries stimulated with such a state of condition have started developing comunitty sanctions and measures with purpose to reduce the criminal justice system, reducing costs and better reintagration of perpetators into society. Organizational units carrying out these measures are called probation services. Probation is defined as a perpetator`s supervision in the state of freedom conducted by a probation officer. This work deals with international frameworks and standars for the establishment of probation systems with an emphasis on European Probation Rules. Trough the review of the probation systems in England and Wales, where probational work is carried by the National Offender Management Service –NOMS, which represents the prison service and probation service, also the development of the Croatian probation service is monitored by this organzation. At the time when Croatia joined the European Union, also started the idea of establishing probation, which was made by the adoption of the Probation Act in December 2009. and the establishment of the Probation Board in September 2009. The Central Office and 12 Probation Offices in regions were established in order to perform probationary work, that started work in 2011 with expanding of probation jobs. Co-operation between the probation and prison systems was favored by the fact that the first alternative sanctions were implemented within the prison system and that the members of the probation service were prison officers. Collaboration with the prison system and probation ensures continuity through various phases of the criminal justice system. An important task of each probation service is to create time and space for learning and the education of officials as a strategy should be at the highest level. Croatia should put special emphasis on lifelong education of probation officers, howewer, in times of economic crisis ,also with a shortage of staff and other organizational difficulties, there are also the tendencies of reducing educational levels and limiting educational content.