an eye for an eye until no one can see

So you should know Saddam Hussein got executed today. If you don't, I'm sorry. Actually, I didn't find out until about five minutes ago, which technically makes it at 12:09 and yesterday's news. Oh snap!
But it makes me think. This horrible person who had ruined a country, ruined so many lives is dead. And it makes headlines. Yet a person who has suffered through years of living on the streets and eating every three days would most likely not even be missed. Death is death. But is this fair? There's so much controversy over death penalties. Most people would agree Saddam is a horrible person. The way I see things, he's going to suffer a lot more sitting in prison until he dies. He basically gets off the hook this way. If you want to use death to punish him, why not kill his family and loved ones in front of him. Why not make him kill his dog or pour milk in his fish's bowl. Assuming he has a dog and a fish. When it's suicide, death is the easy way out. Well heck, if I were Saddam I'd MUCH rather be hanged than behind bars. I just don't understand why our government and society haven't grown out of "eye for an eye". Its so outdated I think. Ideally, it's great, but when there are people like Saddam Hussein getting to leave this world, and his punishment, compared to people who rob a bank and sit in jail to rot (okay so you'd have to do something more serious... whatever) doesn't seem fair anymore. But what I don't understand, if a man molests a child, is his punishment by "eye for eye" letting the father of the child molest his kid? I'm pretty sure no one would agree to that...

This is completely my opinion, but I know there are probably a million things to counterprove this. Its just common sense to me. But I guess most people's common sense is still death for death.