The main trend of the elite public policy since the second half of the 80-ies of the last century is the democratization of public life and development of civil society in Russia. Its implementation is associated with the design and introduction of a set of mechanisms that determine the relationship between the individual and social institutions of various levels and functional purpose. One such mechanism is civilian oversight over authorities. Ideologues of democracy believe that it allows to improve the efficiency of the power structures and minimize their deviation. The changes that are currently taking place in Russia make a significant adjustment to the behavior patterns characteristic of Russian citizens. In connection with the new understanding of the role of the citizen, the development of institutions of governmental authority and local self-government, there is a real need to find some new approaches to defining the essence of the concept of civilian oversigh
