DA Hayden’s Services Over Sentences program sees 89-percent increase in referrals in 2025
BOSTON, March 1, 2026 – The Suffolk County District Attorney diversion and treatment program targeting lower-level drug offenders congregating at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard and other areas of the city had its strongest year yet in 2025, with 321 referrals, an increase of 89 percent over the 170 referrals in 2024, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced today.
Hayden launched the Services Over Sentences program (SOS) in 2022 to provide eligible defendants—mostly low-level drug offenders with non-violent charges—an opportunity to get housing, treatment, job training and other services to get them off the streets and away from harmful behavior patterns.
“We are fully aware of the congregate drug-use situation at Mass and Cass and other areas of the city, and we know how much it impacts the people who live in those neighborhoods. We also know that a coordinated, accountable approach based on treatment and services is the best way to move low-level offenders out of that lifestyle and out of those areas for good. The increased participation in the program last year tells us that more people want what Services Over Sentences offers,” Hayden said.
Hayden’s office works with partners North Suffolk Community Services and The Gavin Foundation to provide SOS participants with an opportunity to work with program coordinators, recovery coaches and clinicians utilizing evidence-based practices such as cognitive behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, dialectical behavior therapy and trauma-informed care.
The defendants voluntarily enter the program as an alternative to the traditional court-based criminal track. If they meet the SOS goals their charges are dismissed. If they fail the charges remain and they re-enter the traditional prosecution track.
Of the 321 referrals last year, 43 participants completed the program and 54 remain currently engaged. The most common charges among SOS participants are possession-related offenses and shoplifting offenses.
Nearly 160 participants have resolved their cases by completing the SOS program since its start in 2022.
Hayden said his office is committed to the strategy of targeting serious offenders with appropriate sentence recommendations upon conviction while providing eligible lower-level offenders the services and tools necessary to move on with their lives.
“We know that the cycle of repeated arrests with no treatment or services added to the mix will never adequately address the problem. The SOS program offers the structure and services these vulnerable people need to get off the streets,” Hayden said.
The Boston Municipal Court Central and Roxbury divisions, which cover most of Mass and Cass and the South End, accounted for 54 percent of SOS referrals in 2024 and 2025.
To support the increase in referrals Hayden’s office and the SOS partners in 2025 developed the SOS Airtable app, a live system that enables shared case visibility, coordinated updates and timely communications. Hayden said his office is exploring other technical enhancements in 2026.
Hayden’s office is also in planning discussions for dedicated SOS court sessions, giving single judges deeper knowledge of SOS participants’ circumstances and improving their ability to track participant progress through the program.
“Successful public safety programs all share the same DNA. They start with solid, achievable goals and then are constantly evaluated and improved to better meet those goals. The SOS program is a proven success and our commitment to it is as strong today as it was when it launched,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications