Justice and Revenge: What Do They Mean?

As much as we would like to think of ourselves as "just" and "righteous" people, not everyone has a clear definition of what justice and revenge mean. Of course we can refer to a dictionary for the simplest definition, but justice and revenge often have personal meanings that vary from person to person.
As for me, I believe that justice and revenge are not exactly the same. Revenge, first of all, is strictly a personal feeling that makes us want to get back at someone. Revenge implies a desire to set something right: we feel as if an offender owes us money, property, dignity, or any other belonging that they have taken away.
Justice, on the other hand, is not personal. Instead, justice functions as an impartial system that determines an offender's appropriate punishment. Because the judicial process takes place in courts of law, justice is not based on what the victim thinks is fair.