Homophily promotes stable connections in co-offending networks but limits information diffusion

Authors: Ruslan Klymentiev, Luis E. C. Rocha & Christophe Vandeviver*

Summary written by: Ruslan Klymentiev

Why do some offenders repeatedly work with the same partners, and how does this affect what they learn from each other? This study explores how homophily, the tendency to choose partners who are similar to oneself, shapes co-offending networks and the spread of criminal skills. Using an agent-based model, the research shows that homophily promotes stable, repeated partnerships, creating tightly knit groups. However, this stability comes at a cost. The overall flow of new skills across the entire network slows down. These findings highlight an important trade-off, in which similarity strengthens partnerships and builds trust but can limit broader learning in criminal groups.

Figure 1. Flowchart of the agent-based model illustrating how offenders select partners, form ties, and exchange skills in a simulated co-offending network.

Key findings

• Homophily fosters stability. Offenders who prefer similar partners form stable, long-term connections with repeated interactions.

• Networks become clustered. This preference leads to sparse networks with dense subgroups.

• Information diffusion slows down. Although skills spread quickly within subgroups, they travel more slowly across the whole network.

• Exposure matters. Offenders with broader, less clustered connections acquire more diverse skills than those embedded in tightly knit cliques.

• Practical insight. The findings help explain why disrupting key connections in criminal networks can be effective, and why not all offenders benefit equally from co-offending.

  
  

How did VSC contribute to our work?

Although our agent-based model is relatively simple, running thousands of simulations to capture these dynamics would not have been possible on a local machine. The VSC’s high-performance computing resources made this work feasible and allowed us to generate robust insights into how homophily shapes criminal networks.

About the Author:

Christophe Vandeviver is a long-time VSC user and researcher whose work has consistently leveraged high-performance computing to explore complex criminological questions. His contributions to computational criminology were also featured in a VSC Success Story video, showcasing how VSC’s infrastructure supports advanced research on crime networks.

Read the full publication in Crime Science here. Listen to the Crimversations podcast summary here.

Citation: Klymentiev, R., Rocha, L.E.C. & Vandeviver, C. Homophily promotes stable connections in co-offending networks but limits information diffusion: insights from a simulation study. Crime Science 14, 9 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-025-00254-w

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