Quote Originally Posted by kingwilly
Nothing about revenge.
The problem with 'revenge' is that it is not a nice word.

It has emotionally negative connotations.

It is not likely to feature in politically massaged for public consumption descriptions of justice systems.

I think when you stop to consider the effect of acts of justice on the parties involved (victim, offender, relatives of each, public, judiciary, government) that they effect on the 'victim' party is to achieve some form of redress. Does the word 'redress' work better for you than 'revenge'?

In any case victims go to court to see their tormentor punished. They get pleasure from this. This pleasure is in reality revenge being served and is a function of the justice system even if official descriptions are too polite to make such a bald statement.