In Breaking the Pendulum, Philip Goodman, Joshua Page, and Michelle Phelps debunk the pendulum model of American criminal justice, arguing that it distorts how and why punishment changes. From the birth of the penitentiary through recent reforms, the authors show how the struggle of players in the penal field shapes punishment. Throughout Breaking the Pendulum: The Long Struggle Over Criminal Justice, Goodman, Page, and Phelps expand on the evolution of penal change as a product of struggle in the social world overtime. ... this book is a great read for all criminal justice and social science scholars, as it provides a new outlook on the long history of criminal justice actors and processes.