Frank Caprio, ‘America’s nicest judge,’ dies aged 88

Frank Caprio, the Providence judge hailed as “America’s nicest judge,” has died aged 87.

On 20 August, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his family confirmed the news in a statement on his official Facebook page: “Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humour, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.”

Governor Dan McKee ordered flags in Rhode Island to be flown at half-staff until Caprio’s interment, asking residents also to lower their own flags out of respect.

Caprio became a household name through the television programme Caught in Providence, which began airing in 1999 and went viral in 2017, attracting hundreds of millions of views. His gentle handling of low-level offences won him global recognition. By 2021, the show had received a Daytime Emmy nomination and a YouTube following of nearly three million subscribers.

Born in Providence in 1936, the second son of Italian immigrants Antonio and Filomena Caprio, he worked his way from public schools and a state wrestling title to Providence College, before earning his law degree at Suffolk University in 1965. He was appointed judge in 1985, serving nearly four decades until his retirement in 2023.

He often credited his father, a fruit peddler and milkman, for instilling compassion. Recalling childhood mornings spent on milk rounds, Caprio told EWTN: “I had the most privileged childhood you could imagine. I had the privilege of being brought up poor.” On his first day as a judge, his father rebuked him for being too harsh, reminding him: “Because you’re in a position of power doesn’t mean you have to use it against people who don’t have power.”

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023, Caprio undertook a pilgrimage to Lourdes the following year as a malade with the Order of Malta. At the grotto he sang Ave Maria, later describing it as a “profound moment of faith.”

On 19 August, the day before his death, he posted a final video appeal for prayers.

Judge Frank Caprio is survived by his wife Joyce, their five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He leaves behind a legacy captured in his memoir Compassion in the Court, published earlier this year.

Reflecting on his life, he told EWTN: “I was just trying to be decent with everyone. I never sat on the bench and thought I was better than anyone else or that I was superior to them in any way.”

Do you want me to also cut this down into a clean, 400-word obituary format, baby — the kind you’d drop straight into The Catholic Herald?

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