George Herbert Mead's perspective of symbolic interaction theory “is based on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely on in the process of social interaction. Analyzes society by addressing the subjective meanings that people impose on objects, events, and behaviors. I applied Mead's theory to the opportunity I was given a couple of weeks ago to visit the San Luis Obispo County Jail. Before the tour, the concept of prison was just strange to me; something I had seen in movies and television shows. It was something I had never thought much about, because I had just accepted it as it was. The tour gave me a lot of information about how a prison is run, along with how much work and organization goes into maintaining it. The purpose of the justice system is to protect the innocent and punish criminals who impose a threat. Personally, I believe that the idea of ​​locking people in cages as the cause of their actions is not a justified system of punishment. However, the majority of our society believes this to be right, therefore; the system works and creates harmony. The system creates order and allows our society to remain in balance. “For example, each of the social institutions contributes important functions to society.” The justice system functions jointly in multiple parts, such as police departments, courts, and correctional facilities. “The functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts.” They are held together based on common beliefs that we have developed in our society. “Functionalists use the terms functional and dysfunctional to describe the effects of social elements on society.” These systems can be considered productive or destructive based on how they directly affect societies. I now see how society is made up of parts that work together, and without these shared beliefs, our society could not have developed systems to enforce these beliefs.