Since the sole function of a free government is the preservation of rights, the only prosecutable crimes in a free society are acts of aggression against the rights of other citizens. Although such acts are much less common in a free society, they must occasionally be dealt with by a criminal justice system. In accordance with the proper function of government, the justice system is oriented, not toward "punishment" per se or "deterrence" or economic "rehabilitation," but toward the restoration of individual rights, through the repayment by the perpetrator of the direct and indirect costs to the victim(s) of his or her aggression. Details of this system of restitution will be discussed later in this section. Here we merely observe the psychological and practical consequences of such a system, both for victims and for criminals:

Victims: The victims of crime, often ignored under the punishment/rehabilitation/deterrence schemes of a mixed economy, can experience a true sense of justice under the straightforward legal system of a free society. To the maximum degree possible, they can reasonably expect compensation in the rare instances when they are subject to criminal aggression, thus continuing to enjoy the fruits of their own actions.