Exodus 23:25 would seem to give biblical justification..
"then thou shalt give life for life, 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. "
Unless of course, you read the Jewish commentary on that. Although it might be rationalizing from a few hundred years later, that passage was taken as early as the 1st century c.e. (and probably earlier) as being 'do not provide an excessive punishisment... no MORE than an eye for an eye, and no more than a tooth for a tooth. Jewish law also provided monetary equivalents for eyes and teeth.... so an eye is not literally put out.