Berberis of some description.

aka barberry .. google: rejuvenation pruning of berberis ... even videos ... ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=rejuvenation+pruning+of+berberis&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

The common one with this appearance is B. thunbergii. Although prevalent in commerce it is a nuisance plant in eastern North America. If you wish however to retain these the most to the point way to deal with them would be to dig them up after the leaves drop, move them farther back into the bed where they can they can then be left to assume their natural unrestrained sizes and shapes with growing out over the walk. Also due to their armature this would seem preferable to any operation involving handling of their stems.