Caprio attended the Providence public schools while working as a dishwasher and shoe-shiner. He graduated from Central High School, where he won the state title in wrestling in 1953. He earned a bachelor's degree from Providence College. After graduating, he began teaching American government at Hope High School in Providence. While teaching at Hope, Caprio attended night school at the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston. This led to him joining the legal profession. Caprio also served in the National Guard from 1954 to 1962 in the 876th Combat Engineer Battalion. During his time in the National Guard, he was stationed at Camp Varnum in Narragansett and Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania."A Family of Veterans, Hurricane High Gravity, and Help Yourself" . Youtube.com. November 15, 2018.Bolinger, James. "Compassionate rulings make judge with soft spot for veterans an internet sensation" . Stars and Stripes. November 8, 2018.
