The 3 Paradigms of Sociology
Structural Functionalists believe that society consist of parts (in this case law enforcement and criminals) each of which have their own functions. It is the criminals function to commit crime, and it is the law enforcements duty to catch the perpetraters of the crime, and then it is the judicial systems job to prosecute the criminal. Without the criminal, the law enforcement officer, the lawyers who prosecuted and defended the criminal, as well as the judge would have no purpose in our society. Thus meaning, that our society would not be stable and functioning.
Symbolic interactionism examines how individuals and groups interact, focusing on the creation of personal identity through interactions with others. Symbolic interactionism presumes that criminals are criminals because of the group they interact with or peer pressure. They feel someone they came across in life helped them choose the path they went down (crime) by some form of “pressure”. Symbolic Interactionism pretty much states, you are who you are friends with, if you are friends with bad people you yourself will be bad, or if you are friends with good people you yourself will be good.