Retired Rhode Island Chief Judge Frank Caprio, who gained fame as a mild-mannered dispenser of justice on the internet, will be the commencement speaker at Providence College this year, the school announced Wednesday.
Caprio, 88, served for 38 years in the Providence Municipal Court where his public profile rose from starring in the Emmy-nominated “Caught in Providence,” which began airing locally in 2000. The series featured Caprio ruling on cases like traffic or parking violations in a gentle way.
Providence College is the first Rhode island higher education institution to announce its commencement speaker for the 2025 graduation season. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at 11 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
Caprio, who retired in 2023, has more than 26 million followers across different social media platforms, according to a PC news release, and his videos have over 10 billion views collectively.
He has 2 million followers on both Facebook and Instagram.
The son of Italian immigrants, Caprio was educated at Providence’s Central High School, where his talents in scholastic wrestling won him the state championship in 1953. Caprio worked three jobs to finance his studies at Providence College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree before going to teach classes in American government at Hope High School.
While working as a teacher, Caprio went on to Suffolk University School of Law to earn his law degree, and began presiding over Providence courts in 1985. Caprio has been awarded two Honorary Doctorates of Law: one from Suffolk in 1991, and another from PC in 2008. The University of Rhode Island gave him an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service in 2016.
Caprio previously chaired the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education, which in 2014 was consolidated into the Rhode Island Board of Education. The current equivalent of the Board of Governors is the Council on Postsecondary Education, and it oversees decision making for the state’s three public institutions of higher learning: the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. He also served on the Providence City Council from 1962 to 1968, and was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame of 2019.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
