The level cap in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is 50 but you can keep going after that to about level 70 if I understand it correctly. This means you can get about 70 of the 250 perks in the game.
Jail time can lower your kills so that you can train them up again would that allow you in theory to get all 250 perks by getting to level 250?
Let me know what you think?
I don't think jail time lowers your skills. It just eliminates your progress counter towards the next skill point. So no, I don't think this is possible.
It's an organic cap - a mathematical cap. There is no overall level limit, but each skill caps at level 100. Since your overall level is based on the number of skill advancements you have, and since the number of skill advancements required to gain a level advancement increases as your level increases, it is mathematically impossible to go beyond level 80.
In other words, once you max all your skills, you will be level 80 and there will be no way to level any further.
80 is therefore maximum number of perks as well, since you only receive perk points upon leveling.
With Patch 1.9, individual skills can be made "Legendary", denoting them with an Imperial symbol. This will reset the skill to 15, and perks used for that skill may be redistributed. Gaining levels in that skill will affect leveling again, thus effectively removing the level cap of 81. There is no restriction on the number of times that skills can be made Legendary. This change makes it theoretically possible to obtain every single perk in the game.
