mr. ault, thanks for your time tonight.ppened today from your understanding of how this usually plays out. >> well, as commission of corrections i was involved in several executions and it's one thing to they're rise about it or talk about it abstractly but when you're in the death chamber ordering an execution, and even if you, in your mind, are a man of conscious, believe somebody is guilty, it is still very pre medcated murder. it's scripted and rehearsed. about as premeditated as any killing that you can do. and then, when there is doubt, either way, it exacts a heavy toll on those who are charged by the state to execute somebody. it hits close to home since in the 70s i was a warden there. and then the 90s, i was asked as commissioner of corrects, to execute several people. several of my colleagues who have been involved in execution in other states feel as i do. now i'm a dean of a college of justice, that's ironic. but i know all the research and i know how unevenly that is applied. thousands of variables that go int

mr. ault, thanks for your time tonight. please describe what happened today from your understanding of how this unusually plays out. >> well, as the commissioner of corrections i was involved in several executions. and it's one thing to theory rise about it or talk about it abstractly. but when you're in the death chamber ordering an execution, and even if you in your mind if you're a man of conscience actually believe somebody is guilty, it's still a very premeditated murder. i mean, it's scripted and rehearsed. it's about as premeditated as any killing that you can do. and then when there is doubt, either way it exact a heavy toll on those who are charged by the state to execute somebody. this hit close to home, since in the 70s i was a warden there. and in the 90s i was asked as commissioner of corrections to execute several people. several of my colleagues who have been involved in execution other states feel as i do. now i'm a dean of a college of justice, so that's ironic. but i know all the research, and i know how u

mr. ault, what about the unusual circumstances surrounding all of this? do you think that this is -- this case, this event, this execution tonight is going to change a lot of attitudes in this country? >> well, at one time i hoped that would happen. we have presidential candidates who say that signing execution orders doesn't bother their conscience at all. but i still think men of conscience, it does bother them. if people were aware of all the facts about capital punishment, i think logically, they would change their mind. logic does not always prevail, as you well know. >> dr. alt, stay with us. let's bring back rachel maddow, who wants to ask you a question tonight.ci>ñ >> thanks, ed. i appreciate the chance to do this. >> we're grateful to have you with us tonight. you signed on to a letter to ask georgia corrections to reconsider and specifically highlighting the toll this would take on corrections officers and ot9h(eople in the correction system involved in this execution you understand from your personal experiences the awful life-long repercussi