This paper’s main objective is to to 1) provide an insight into the importance of motivation in the prison system, in particular on special treatment programs, its wide application or use of benefits, 2) to present a cross-section of knowledge related to the area of motivation in special programs and to consider the importance of motivating prisoners as criteria for inclusion in special programs and 3) to present special programs for prisons in the Republic of Croatia, the application of motivation in them as well as the possibility of its application. The purpose of a prison sentence defined by the purpose of a prison sentence is the rehabilitation of offenders. The main precondition to rehabilitation is modification of some aspects of offenders behavior - that will be possible only if the individual is motivated for a change. Motivation is a complex psychological process that directs one towards some goal. In the prison system primarily it primarily refers to the motivation to change or one's level of desire to achieve certain changes which is especially evident during his participation in a program, which seeks to achieve a change. The latest researches focus on motivation as a criteria for prisoner's inclusion in a special program. This is one of the under-explored phenomena, especially in the field of penology and criminology and is essential for the success and further development of correctional programs. The prisoners' motivation most influences their susceptibility to treatment effects and the ability to achieve program outcomes and thus consequently on its usefulness. All this points to the necessity of work on motivation in such programs.