New Mexico Women’s Justice Project (NMWJP) is a statewide 501-(c)-3 nonprofit organization that began as an advisory board to one of New Mexico’s most successful community support programs - Peanut Butter and Jelly Family Services (PB&J). Since 1972, PB&J has been providing at-risk mothers, fathers and children with therapeutic support, case management, life and work skills, budgeting, counseling, parenting, health care, nutrition instruction to. The New Mexico Women’s Justice Project was created specifically to address the additional needs of the girls and women in this population who are enmeshed in the criminal justice system.

In 2001, NMWJP became its own nonprofit organization, comprised of mostly attorneys, medical professionals and service providers who worked directly with incarcerated women and their families. NMWJP produced two seminal reports that outlined a series of evidence-based programs and strategies for the implementation of gender responsive treatment services provided by state agencies in New Mexico.
After presenting this research, NMWJP was asked by the Governor of New Mexico to serve on numerous task forces:
• to develop policies that encourage pregnant, addicted women to get prenatal care without fear of prosecution
• to improve conditions and treatment of women in prison
• to establish gender specific strategic plan for girls in the juvenile justice system, including gender sensitive behavioral health treatment
• to develop policies that support incarcerated women upon re-entry into the community
• to develop drug policies that encourages treatment, prevention and harm reduction rather than the traditional punitive approach