Allan Ault News Today

Conscience, it does bother them. and if people were aware of all the facts about capital punishment, i think logically they would change their mind. but logic does not always prevail as you well know. >> dr. ault, stay with us. lets bring back rachel maddow who wants to ask you a question tonight. rachel? >> reporter: dr. ault, you signed onto a letter tonight asking georgia corrections officials to reconsider this case specifically highlighting the toll that this would take on corrections offic...

They would change their mind. but logic does not always prevail as you well know. >> dr. ault, stay with us. lets bring back rachel maddow who wants to ask you a question tonight. rachel? >> reporter: dr. ault, you signed onto a letter tonight asking georgia corrections officials to reconsider this case specifically highlighting the toll that this would take on corrections officers and other people in the corrections system involved in this execution, saying that you understand from your own per...

And those people, people of conscience, had the same type of struggle that i did. if i thought that it actually deterred and i tried to use that rationale when i was participating, that i thought if id save one life maybe it was worth it. but i soon realized that is not what capital punishment is all about. >> dr. ault, you highlighted in this letter you wrote to corrections officials in georgia today with other wardens of death row prisons i should mention, but you highlighted the particular to...

I cant see the justification. and if were just reaping vengeance for somebody, i dont see the justification in that, either. i have talked to a lot of families of victims who didnt feel fulfilled after the executions took place. i cant speak for all the families of victims, but i know ive talked to many. >> dr. allan ault and rachel maddow, thank you for staying with us. coming up next, barry scheck of the innocence project and ari melber of the nation. our coverage of the execution of troy anth...

Deterred and i tried to use that rationale when i was participating, that i thought if id save one life maybe it was worth it. but i soon realized that is not what capital punishment is all about. >> dr. ault, you highlighted in this letter you wrote to corrections officials in georgia today with other wardens of death row prisons i should mention, but you highlighted the particular toll on corrections officials when there is a case of doubt or when there is a case of a prisoner who is to be exe...

Execution of troy davis. joining me now is allan ault, retired director of the georgia department of corrections and former warden of the georgia diagnostic and classification prison where he oversaw executions for the state of georgia. 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 its one thing to theory rise about it or tal...

>> dr. allan ault and rachel maddow, thank you for staying with us. coming up next, barry scheck of the innocence project and ari melber of the nation. our coverage of the execution of troy anthony davis continues here on nsnbc. stay with us. [ mendes ] you know when somethings bad -- but you do it anyway?

seven of the nine witnesses against him have reportedly recantedheir testimony. some jurors have publicly changed their minds about his guilt. others claim a man who was with the davis that might told people he is the actual command. join us coming up will be rachel matt blow, been jealous, and jeremy skaalen and barry scheck allen alt. for the latest, we are joined outside the prison in jackson, georgia. what is it like out there tonight? >> the atmosphere right now is very thick. a l...

allen alt. for the latest, we are joined outside the prison in jackson, georgia. what is it like out there tonight? >> the atmosphere right now is very thick. a lot of anticipation enter spoke with a spokeswoman for the department of corrections here in georgia, and she says they are more than midway through the execution. she believes that within ten minutes she will get some word of the official details of this execution, but this execution has already begun. now we understand that t...

what is it like out there tonight? >> the atmosphere right now is very thick. a lot of anticipation enter spoke with a spokeswoman for the department of corrections here in georgia, and she says they are more than midway through the execution. she believes that within ten minutes she will get some word of the official details of this execution, but this execution has already begun. now we understand th the execution has already gone through the process and are just waiting for confirma...