This "punishment" business seems so pointless. It's not going to change anything. I'm for reform if people are capable of it, pleasant incarceration if they're not.

The idea that the surviving relatives of someone who has been murdered feel better if the person who did it is harmed strikes me as a bit iffy. Perhaps they feel better for a while; I can't see it improving their lives forever.

Punishment is an unintelligent approach.