Nobody wants to go to court.
No matter how much respect we may have for the judicial system, very few of us probably want to face a judge ourselves. Depending on our misdeeds, sometimes there are serious consequences for our actions—even if our offenses are slight, it’s still an inconvenience.
Still, you might consider yourself lucky to appear in Judge Frank Caprio’s courtroom.
Judge Caprio is the chief municipal judge in Providence, Rhode Island, a post he has served since 1985.
During that time, Caprio has developed a reputation for his rulings. Unlike negative stereotypes of the judicial system as a harsh of unforgiving place, Caprio specializes in surprising people with lighter sentences and fair judgments.
Most recently, Caprio has been making the rounds in a case over a parking violation.
The case concerned a pizza delivery man who had parked his car illegally to quickly deliver a pizza.
For his hearing, the man brought his five-year-old son Jacob to court with him. After some consideration, Judge Caprio addressed the pair. After a moment, he told Jacob to approach the bench to help him decide the case.
Once Jacob approaches, Judge Caprio sits him on his lap and explains the situation to him:
“Alright, I’m having trouble with this case. Because I have a situation where your dad is charged with parking on a street up on the east side. And I have three choices: I can fine him $90, I can charge him $30 or I can charge him nothing. What do you think I should do?”
With almost no hesitation, Jacob replies: “$30!”
Though the crowd gets a laugh out of Jacob’s decision, Judge Caprio has something even better in mind.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” he asks little Jacob. Jacob says no. “Well suppose I make a deal with your dad, ok? And that deal is if he’ll take you out for breakfast then I’ll dismiss the ticket. Now what do you think about that?”
Jacob likes the idea.
As a result of his wisdom and winning personality in cases like these, Judge Caprio has his own ABC show, Caught in Providence.
Though this latest clip of Jacob and his dad is one of the newest, those looking for more of Judge Caprio need only check out the show’s Facebook and YouTube pages—as it turns out, the “breakfast ruling” is something of a signature move on Judge Caprio’s part.
Last but not least, Jacob and his dad checked in to prove they had followed through on the judge’s ruling.
Ultimately, Judge Caprio’s gentle and fair approach to his job is a breath of fresh air for anyone who has ever been in the legal system.
As anyone who has ever gotten a ticket knows, everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Though there are good reasons for people to face consequences for their actions, there are also plenty of times when we could all just use a helping hand.
Keep up the good work, Judge Caprio!
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Judge allows kid to choose dad’s punishmentA 5-year-old was asked by the judge to determine his dad’s punishment. His answer will make you smile. https://usat.ly/2tbixvO
Posted by USA TODAY on Tuesday, July 11, 2017
