Final Essay on Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final on Law - Essay Example The concerns of a structural functionalist include the ability of the system to meet its needs as well as any form of dysfunction in it or how the feedback mechanism reflects a system’s efficiency. Moreover, he is interested in changes that are lasting and become part of the institution as well as culture and the location of authority in the system as the key in the identification of decisions and their nature (Powers 153). In understanding the perspective of a structural functionalist with respect to the criminal justice system, it is important to note that the latter is underpinned by several principles. The first principle is that society can be viewed as a system rather than as a cacophony of individual choices and actions. Second, society is being held together by values and culture that its members share and hold together. The third principle is that the institutions within society play a role in stabilizing it. Finally, change is ever present in a social system, but thi s takes place slowly and is driven by the abandonment and dropping of institutions that are flawed and do not contribute to or are not in harmony with an efficient social system (Garner 324). The framework of the criminal justice system