Meet District Attorney Hayden 

District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden has dedicated his professional life to serving the public, seeking justice, and keeping communities safe and vibrant.

Before becoming DA he led the state Sex Offender Registry Board, guiding its mission to classify offenders and make information available to the public. DA Hayden served as the board’s chairman for six years, after serving as Acting Executive Director and General Counsel.

Prior to that, DA Hayden spent five years as a criminal defense attorney. He served as a bar advocate for the Committee for Public Counsel Services representing indigent clients in Boston Municipal Court and Boston Juvenile Court.

DA Hayden began his career right here in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He served as an assistant district attorney for over a decade across various units and was Chief of the Safe Neighborhood Initiative, a nationally recognized community-based crime prevention program. DA Hayden was one of the earliest advocates and practitioners of diversion, intervention and alternative to prosecution programs. He worked with local, state, and federal partners on violence prevention programs and initiatives for at-risk youth, services for victims and witnesses, and assistance for citizens returning from incarceration. DA Hayden also served on the Gang Unit, the Homicide Response Team, and the Juvenile Unit.

In recognition of his innovative public safety approach, DA Hayden received the Brian J. Honan Award for excellence in the courtroom and extraordinary commitment to the Suffolk County community in 2006.

DA Hayden is a board member of Youth Options Unlimited, a Boston workforce development organization serving young people who are court-involved or gang-affiliated, reentering the community from incarceration, or seeking refuge from poverty or violence. He also serves as deacon at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan and coaches youth lacrosse.

DA Hayden received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1990 and his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1995. He lives in Roslindale with his wife and two children.