prevention vs punishment as a litmus test of conscience

I'm doing some criminal justice research online tonight and just came across this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?

and as always, because I just can't leave anything alone, I propose a small tweak:

We will know that our consciences have evolved in wisdom and tenderness when we prefer the prevention of suffering over the avenging of it. 

I wonder if I'll still be around when this evolution of conscience hits critical mass and becomes the prevalent sentiment in the collective consciousness of humanity.  It would be very interesting to witness ...