Is the death penalty justice or revenge?

[Blue3]

It's a false dichotomy -- "justice" and "revenge" are very, very frequently -- perhaps most of the time -- the same thing. Since I support the death penalty and justice has more positive connotations I voted for that, but the distinction is totally meaningless.

There's a difference between consequences meant as punishment/retribution, and consequences meant for prevention.

When you lock someone in jail, you're doing it so they might reform (preventative), so that it will deter others (preventative), and to keep the individual from doing the illegal act again (preventative).

The only other option, besides preventative, for locking someone in jail is for retribution/punishment.

Justice based on preventing evil acts = good. "Justice" based on retribution/punishment = evil.

The only way the death penalty can ever be preventative (and morally justifiable) is if locking a person in jail, even in solitary for life, would not be able to prevent the individual from doing harm... either because of the person's influence from simply being alive, or if a breakout was a real concern.

There's a very real distinction between justice and revenge. One is for the well-being of all individuals in society, the other is for the suffering/death of an individual to satisfy the desires of others.

[Blue3]

If a person is convicted of a criminal misdemeanor, the penalty is often a fine. That penalty is not intended to be preventative, it's a form of punishment which matches the level of the fine to the severity of the crime. If the fine were preventative, the level would be set based on the wealth of the perpetrator, but it's not. Your statement implies that criminal fines for misdemeanors as generally imposed are evil.

When dealing with less serious crimes, besides preventative justice and retributive "justice", there is also reparative justice.

A fine would be preventative (and in some cases, reparative).

I disagree that fines as they exist are intended as punishment only. They are intended to prevent it from happening again, and sometimes to repair the damage. If any are intended as punishment, then they are immoral. It can be preventative and not based on the perpetrator's income. Though it would be a neat idea to begin to base some fines on a person's income.