Revenge is a fundamental component of justice and most people do not feel a sense of justice unless some measure of revenge has been enacted. Revenge can be as simple as punishment and there is this thing about how the punishment should for the crime, well I agree, it should.
As far as I'm concerned, there should be rehab for people who committed non-violent "crimes of necessity" or who need addiction counseling or mental help and public square stockades with rotten fruit for passer-by to throw. But then for the other stuff this should happen:
- the criminal should be tied post in a room
- the room should be stocked with melee weapons in case the family wants them
- the family should be allowed into the room
- what happens in the room stays in the room an no one is guilty
Also, if undeniable proof is acquired of a crime like that, then it should be legal for the family member to get revenge provided they can prove they were justified after the fact.
Okay, hypothetical question then: Suppose that someone takes your 7 and 5 year old boys and rapes them over the process of 2 days under the guise of foster care and puts one in the hospital and the other in the grave, dead from a bruised liver. (example is from a real court case)
How do you get justice without enacting some form of revenge, locking someone up is revenge, revenge deosn't mean killing them, it can, but it doesn't mean killing them.
How do you do it?
And if your answer is that "when the state does it, it's justice, when you do it it's revenge" then that's called hypocrisy.
Revenge is a component of justice.