Due process is what separates a free society from a police state. When the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution says that the government shall not "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, " that does not meant that the government cannot take away a person's life, liberty or property, but that it cannot take those things away without first giving that person a fair chance to defend him or herself. For instance, the government cannot imprison someone or take away his or her children without allowing the person to challenge the government's actions.
