In Germany, for example, the prosecutor is primarily obliged to get at the truth. Furthermore, prosecutors have no discretion as to whether to prosecute, any major offense must go to trial, so there is nothing the prosecutor could offer. For the same reason, there is little incentive for the prosecutor, because trials with guilty pleas (which still happen quite frequently) are only somewhat shorter than trials without them. The judge still has to consider all the evidence, of which the guilty plea is just one piece.

On the other hand, procedures are such that trials are dispatched quickly at reasonable cost. There is virtually no room for the procedural/technical shenanigans that drag out litigation in the US and make it so expensive.

http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic...