Frank Caprio, who served as judge of the Municipal Court of Providence, Rhode Island (United States), for almost 40 years and became known as “the friendliest judge” in the country, died on August 20 because of pancreatic cancer.
“Amado for his compassion, humility and unwavering belief in the goodness of the people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor and kindness left an indelible mark on all those who met him,” reads a statement published in his Facebook official page.
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The governor of Rhode Island, Dan McKee, ordered that the flags in the state wave at half -mast in all state agencies and buildings until the day of Caprio’s burial, and also asked Rhode Island residents to lower their flags in respect.
Caprio achieved worldwide fame by an indulgent judicial style that combined justice, extreme empathy and mercy when his audience room was televised in a program called “Caught in Providence”(Trapped in Providence). The program began in 1999 and went viral in 2017, accumulating hundreds of millions of views since then. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy award in 2021 and has a YouTube channel with almost 3 million subscribers.
When issuing sentences for minor infractions such as parking fines and speeding, Caprio said to Colm Flynn, EWTN News correspondent in “Ewtn News in Dept” in Februaryalways had something that his father, an Italian immigrant worker with education up to fifth grade, had instilled in him: “What for some may seem a small fine, for many was something they could not pay.”
“That’s why I always asked: ‘Tell me a little about what is happening in his life,” Caprio said.
“His case is dismissed” became the characteristic phrase of Caprio.
When other judges asked him why he was so indulgent, he replied: “He simply put me in the shoes of the person in front of him.”
Caprio dismissed the case of a 96 -year -old man, Victor, who had an unpaid speed fine, the first in his life, which he received while taking his son with disabilities to a medical appointment. Four years later, Caprio celebrated his 100th birthday.
“I saw my father and learned how to treat people with respect and dignity,” said Caprio.
Early life and education
Caprio was born in 1936 in Providence, Rhode Island, being the second of three children of Italian immigrants, Antonio Caprio and Filomena Caprio, who emigrated from Naples.
He attended the public schools of Providence, won a state title in wrestling when he attended Central High School, and then graduated from Providence College in 1958. While he taught US government in Hope High School, he attended the law career at Suffolk University School of Law, attending night classes and approving the advice exam in 1965. He became a judge in 1985 and served until his retirement in 2023.
Caprio said that his father, a fruits and dairy seller, used to wake him up at his brothers at 4:00 am to accompany him in his milk delivery rounds.
“I had the most privileged childhood you can imagine,” Caprio told Flynn. “I had the privilege of growing as poor.”
He described that they lived in a “apartment with cold water”, an apartment that did not have hot water.
Caprio’s father told his children that if “they didn’t want to stay in that cart of milk for the rest of their lives, they better stay at school.”
Caprio recalled that one day, when he was about 12 years old, his father put his hand on his shoulder and said: “Someday you will be a lawyer, and you will not be able to charge the poor like us.”
His father showed his children how to be compassionate even being a poor milkman, refusing to stop delivering milk when customers could not pay.
Caprio’s father remained a powerful presence in his life even after he became a judge. On his first day in court, Caprio forced a belligerent and rude woman with multiple parking fines to pay the total amount that she owed and confiscated her car. At the end of the day, he asked his father, who had been watching: “How did I?”
His father told him that he had been too hard with the woman, although he had a bad attitude. He told her that she had three children and it could not be able to feed them that night.
“Because you are in a position of power does not mean that you should use it against people who have no power,” said his father.
It was a lesson that he never forgot.
“I just tried to be decent with everyone. I never sat in court thinking that it was better than anyone or that it was superior to them in some way,” Caprio told Fynn.
Cancer diagnosis
Caprio was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023.
Catholic devout, Caprio’s faith sustained him during a pilgrimage to Lourdes (France) in 2024, where he sang “Ave Maria” in the grotto, describing him as a deep spiritual moment.
He told Flynn that he expected his followers to pray for him after his diagnosis, because “I have a deep and constant faith in the Catholic Church, in Jesus, in the power of prayer.” He affirmed that his faith in God and the prayers of all his followers kept him standing.
Asked again on August 19, publishing A video on Facebook. He died the next day.
Race, legacy and honors
Caprio, Democrat, served in the Municipal Council of Providence for six years, from 1962 to 1968, and lost the general election for Rhode Island attorney in 1970. He was delegated to five national Democratic conventions. It also served in the National Guard of the Rhode Island Army.
He actively participated in several community organizations, including Boys Town of Italy and the Food Bank of Rhode Island. He was co -president of the Foundation of the Statue of Freedom of Rhode Island, collecting funds for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In addition, he was part of the Board of Regents of Primary and Secondary Education of Rhode Island. Caprio was also a member of the president’s council in Providence College.
At Suffolk University School of Law, Caprio established the Antonio “Tup” Caprio Scholarship Fund, appointed in honor of his father, to support Rhode Island students dedicated to improving access to legal services in the poor and urban neighborhoods of the State. He also created scholarships in Providence College, Suffolk Law School and for graduates of Central High School, all in honor of his father’s legacy.
He received two honorary doctorates and an award from the Circle of Producers at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, along with the Daytime Emmy nomination. His former municipal hearing room was renamed “The room of the main judge Frank Caprio” in 2023.
Boston Red Sox fan, Caprio launched the first ceremonial launch in Fenway Park in 2019.
In 2025 he published his memoirs, Compassion in the Court: Life-Changing Stories from America’s Nicest Judge.
Caprio survives his wife, Joyce, with whom he had five children: Frank T. Caprio, David Caprio, Marissa Pesce, John Caprio and Paul Caprio. The couple had seven grandchildren and two great -grandchildren.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Amira Abuzeid
Amira Abuzeid ES Publisher Senior en Catholic News Agency.