Seeing as how I beleive the golden rule is a worthwhile moral principle, I don't really find enjoyment in revenge. I also haven't really seen it useful as a deterrant. Sure, I get angry, but thats just a temporary emotion, and once it passes, I'm not a very hateful person.
In my opinion, much more useful than revenge is compensation. The notion of compensation in law is often attributed as being invented by the Phrygians, maybe around the 12th century BC. This is probably the civilization's most important legacy to the world, with the possible exception of King Midas. At the time, it seemed like a much more reasonable alternative to lex talionis, Hammurabi's Code.
Hammurabi's Code doesn't really work, and in most practical cases, the punishments are ridiculous, inappropriate, or overly severe. For example, consider a terrorist who kills thousands of people. Torturing and killing him, and even killing his entire family, probably would not be sufficient to atone for the crime.
I think that when someone commits a crime, and so is liable to "repay their debt to society," thats exactly what they should be doing. And no, rotting away in some anus ramming factory doesn't repay crap to me, or anyone else. Rather, the criminal should be required to repay, with interest, everything they have deprived from society. You would steal $100 from me? Great, thats like writing me a check for $250! For crimes which repayment is very difficult, it is possible that this may be a life debt. This sort of strategy, if implemented by a state such as the US, could be a very valuable source of production and commerce. Our two million inmates, if "properly motivated," are a working force that would put all others to shame.
This sort of system is great for so many reasons. One that I particularly make is that it makes certain catagories of crimes go away, as people whose "crimes" incur no "debt" need no punishment. Another is that people who feel forced to commit crimes, such as steal food to survive, are quite free to do so, provided they are willing to repay the owner in full, with interest. Crime could almost be a good thing, as the victim would often get more benefits than damage.