What is worse: atheists being imprisoned, and tortured until they believe in God, or hell?

In hell, atheists would be tortured, and imprisoned for all eternity. It may seem extreme to the faint of heart, but wouldn't torture for the mere duration of life on Earth, be a small price to pay to forgo torture in the afterlife? It's seems to me the ends would justify the means. As painful as it may be to enact such a policy of spiritual purification, in the long run atheists would thank Christians for setting them on the right path. A torture free path. A path of love. All it takes is accepting Jesus Christ into your heart.