I think you're confusing punishment with deterrence. Punishment has a vengeful nature, and comes from a more primitive time when victims got their retribution b

I think you're confusing punishment with deterrence. Punishment has a vengeful nature, and comes from a more primitive time when victims got their retribution by seeing offenders suffer. Of course it's related to deterrence, but the way you talk about it deterrence is the purpose of punishment, which I don't think is correct. Punishment (and specifically, fulfilling or abating the desire for revenge of the wronged) is an end in itself.