system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: I believe that revenge is a form of justice.

This was inspired by the inmate thread about rape. 

There was one victim who described his ordeal and said that he had hoped that his attacker would experience the same torture and rape (that he was made to feel) while in jail. 

Many came out and were very passionate about explaining to this person that his viewpoint was wrong and malicious. One particular commentator said that he believes that what the victim is after is "revenge" and "our prison system isn't meant for revenge". 

I argue that it might be considered revenge, but revenge is a form of justice. 

When a criminal gets a life sentence and we get an interview from the victim or the victim's family what do they always say? "We are happy that we will finally have justice." 

I ask you why is that not revenge? 

I know that they personally might not have been involved in committing the criminal and therefore it isn't directly caused by them so it's not revenge. 

But what if they weren't the direct cause but they played some role. Some role that can be as small as reporting the crime to the police. When they did this, were they seeking justice? Or were they seeking revenge? Or both?

Do we only quantify something as revenge when it contradicts to our accepted standards of justice? Being that if I get punched and robbed, I can not punch and rob my attacker because that would be revenge.
So if I want justice I have to report the crime, hope for a trial, and once the criminal is convicted I will then have justice.

I argue that I should be entitled to punching him back, robbing him back and it be considered revenge and justice.

Who sets the table for the difference? The law? Do we have to agree with the law? If I believe in the death penalty and I am the victim. But the state in which the crime was committed did not believe in the death penalty and the criminal was able to get away. Is that justice?

In other words is justice relative? Is it quantifiable? Is there anyway to differentiate it from revenge other than by our own presumptions of what we believe to be "just" and what we believe to be "vengeful".

Interested in hearing what you have to say. Sorry for the rant.
gpt
I believe, rather, that justice is a specific kind of revenge. 

I heard a comedian (years ago, can't remember who) saying he didn't believe in the death penalty until discovering that someone scratched his car. This highlights that an emotional response to some form of wrongdoing can overblow that wrongdoing, especially when you or someone you care about happens to be the target. This is why a third, disinterested party must be responsible for the determination and distribution of punishment. It's also why victims or families of victims are not the ones to consider when administering justice.