I never thought of execution as revenge. It is more punishment or mere elimination of waste.
--I never thought of execution as revenge. It is more punishment or mere elimination of waste.--
I tend to think of it as protecting citizens from rogue members of society. I lean towards life without parole for maximum sentences, as it allows for the correction of mistakes (hard to correct if the person is dead), and because I favor a very pro-life stance on things.
But I feel society has the right to protect itself from those who would prey on it. This is one of the functions of government. It's not really a case of revenge; society has to be protected. Governments use punishment to teach and deter, and to take the threat a person offers to society out of circulation, at least for awhile. Government uses other tools, too - for some lesser offenses, there are even times to rehabilitate. But it's biggest role of all is to protect the social order and possibly eliminate the threat.
Nothing can replace, or restore the loss of a loved one because someone took their life. Even revenge doesn't to much besides create a cycle of hurt. But one can stop that perpertrator from repeating his wrong. And that's the job of government. Doing it wisely is the hard part!