America's ‘nicest judge' in America's angriest moment

Boston Globe

05-02-2025

During nearly 40 years on the bench in Providence, Caprio's famous leniency often provided a lifeline to people when they needed it most, moments when paying to have a boot removed from their car would mean going without groceries or missing rent.
'How were the ends of justice served if I imposed a maximum penalty on or revoked the license of a parent in financial difficulty who then could no longer take their kids to school or drive to work?' Caprio writes in his new book, '
.' '
In that case, I was compounding problems, not meting out a just punishment.'
Get Rhode Map
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
Enter Email
Sign Up
So at a moment in this country when we have a president who thrives off division and never stops attacking his political opponents — even during tragedies like last week's
Advertisement
'I would implore everybody to be compassionate and understanding of their fellow human beings,' Caprio said Tuesday, shortly after he left the set of '
Predictable. Poignant. And perfectly on brand for a man who didn't become internationally famous until after he turned 80, when his real-life court TV show, 'Caught in Providence,' was syndicated.
Now, at 88, Caprio is battling what he calls 'uncurable'
Frank Caprio, Sr. promotes his new book, "Compassion in the Court," on "Good Morning America."
Good Morning America
Caprio was one of the first in his family to graduate from high school, and the first to earn a college degree. After graduating from Providence College in 1958, he dreamed of attending Boston University Law School, but he couldn't afford it. Instead he worked as a public school teacher in Providence while attending Suffolk Law at night.
Advertisement
But his first dream wasn't to wear a black robe. It was politics. He was elected to Providence City Council, and then ran unsuccessfully for attorney general. One chapter in his book, 'How prejudice affected my political career,' outlines his lifelong gripe that his opponent's attempt to connect him to organized crime is what cost him the race.
'It took me a long, long time to let that go,' Caprio writes. 'If I'm being honest, I'm not sure I'm over it still. It's not something I like to discuss because it reopens deep wounds.'
To be sure, Caprio turned out just fine.
He made a fortune as an attorney and businessman, and became among the most influential behind-the-scenes players/fixers/dealmakers in Rhode Island politics for decades.
The judgeship was always a part-time side hustle, but his brother Joseph started filming the courtroom in the late 1990s, and 'Caught in Providence' was born. In a typical episode, Judge Caprio listens to a person's sob story about why they couldn't pay their parking tickets in Providence, tells a charming story about his own life, and then lets them off with a heavily reduced fine.
Tear-jerking. Hilarious. Relatable.
And wildly popular.
'Caught in Providence' was broadcast for decades on local TV, then the Caprios sold the rights to Debmar-Mercury in 2017, and the little
judge from Providence became a star. The show now boasts 16 million
Advertisement
'The show has resonated around the world,' Caprio said.
What made it work so well?
On camera or off, Caprio said he couldn't think of a time since he became a judge in 1985 that he wasn't willing to grant some form of leniency to his defendants — 'I don't wear a badge under my robe, I wear a heart,' he says often enough for it to become something of a tag line.
Even in moments where he wanted to slap someone with a stiff fine, he'd step back, and place himself in the shoes of the other person. 'You don't know what they're going through at that moment,' he said.
He continued: 'Some judges get carried away with their authority. Just because you have authority doesn't mean you have to use it.'
That's another good lesson for the times we are living in.
Dan McGowan can be reached at