Final answer:
Restitution is the process involved in righting a wrong and compensating for inconvenience, such as the payments made to survivors of Japanese internment in 1990. It is part of transitional justice and can include reparation, apologies, and truth commissions, aiming to rebuild trust and justice in society.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario mentioned, the process of attempting to right a wrong and compensating for the inconvenience is known as restitution. This concept often applies in the context of historical injustices where a governing body or organization acknowledges past wrongdoings and takes steps to compensate affected individuals or communities for the harm caused. One well-known example is the $20,000 payments made by the US government to living survivors of Japanese internment as an attempt to make amends for past discrimination. This act of restitution was encapsulated in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which aimed to address the grievances faced by Japanese Americans during World War II.
Restitution is part of the broader process of transitional justice, which can include various forms of reparation, such as financial compensation, public apologies, and the establishment of truth and reconciliation commissions. It seeks to repair the damage done and, ideally, to rebuild trust and justice within the affected society.
The concept has also been discussed in various other contexts, including environmental justice, where fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in the enforcement and implementation of regulations and policies are paramount. The aim is to provide equitable remedies so that no community bears a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences.
Another facet of restitution involves the legal system, highlighted in Nader's comparative work on law in different cultures, where large corporations may use settlements to evade the full consequences of their wrongful actions. Though the settlements are a form of compensation, they also often include clauses that silence complainants, which differ from the restorative intent of building harmony within the community.