Judge Frank Caprio billed his courtroom as a place where people and cases are met with kindness and compassion.

In one of his last public posts on social media, he told his followers he had experienced a setback and had returned to the hospital.

Judge Frank Caprio, known worldwide as “the kindest judge,” has passed away at the age of 88. For years, his courtroom in Providence, Rhode Island, became a global phenomenon, not because of scandal ...