This Practice Note considers sentencing procedure in the magistrates’ court and Crown Court in accordance with the Sentencing Act 2020 (Sentencing Code). It covers how a sentencing hearing takes place including information on the procedural options available to the sentencing court (eg adjourning for pre-sentence reports, and, in the magistrates’ court, committing for sentence to the Crown Court, as well as deferring a sentence or proceeding to sentence immediately). It explains the material to be obtained in advance alongside any pre-sentence report such as impact statements of victims, communities and businesses, and character references to support the defendant’s mitigation. It also covers the procedure of a sentencing hearing, explaining that the prosecution advocate opens the facts and then the defence advocate summarises mitigation before the judge then pronounces the sentence and provides links to other relevant content. It also explains the ability of the court to correct minor errors in sentences under section 142 of the Magistrates’ Court Act 1980 or section 385 of the Sentencing Act 2020, commonly referred to as ‘the slip rule’.