[WS:] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice
I tend to believe that the concept of retribution is a necessary logical consequence of the concept of justice, which is an apriori category of reasoning i.e. we have an "innate" concept of justice that organizes our way of thinking of human relations. It thus follows that if a norm is violated it must be punished for the sake of justice regardless of any utilitarian considerations. For example, if I willfully injure you I must be appropriately punished for violating the norm that proscribed inflicting injuries on other people - regardless of any utilitarian consideration, e.g. amount of monetary compensation for your medical bills, lost time at work, etc. Please note that forgiveness does not imply absence of retribution - it implies only the absence of personal grudge and desire for a revenge.
-- Wojtek
"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."