Should you be able to hack back at the hacker?

Interesting article in Reuters, Hacked companies fight back with controversial steps:

Known in the cyber security industry as “active defense” or “strike-back” technology, the reprisals range from modest steps to distract and delay a hacker to more controversial measures. Security experts say they even know of some cases where companies have taken action that could violate laws in the United States or other countries, such as hiring contractors to hack the assailant’s own systems.

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It’s illegal (in the U.S.) to hack another person/entity’s computer… even if they’re illegally hacking your system first. But shouldn’t this scenario be treated more like self-defense? As in, it’s illegal to murder someone… unless they’ve invaded your home and threaten your family first.

Why not allow self-defense hacking?