All actions defined as criminal in a free society are actions involving
force—and only such actions are answered by force.
Do not be misled by sloppy expressions such as “A murderer commits a crime
against society.” It is not society that a murderer murders, but an individual
man. It is not a social right that he breaks, but an individual right. He is
not punished for hurting a collective—he has not hurt a whole collective—he
has hurt one man. If a criminal robs ten men—it is still not “society” that he
has robbed, but ten individuals. There are no “crimes against society”—all
crimes are committed against specific men, against individuals. And it is
precisely the duty of a proper social system and of a proper government to
protect an individual against criminal attack—against force.