In the MVC architectural pattern, JSPs represent the view layer. Embedding Java code in JSPs is considered a bad practice.
You can use JSTL, freeMarker, and velocity with JSP as a "template engine".
The data provider to those tags depends on frameworks that you are dealing with. Struts 2 and WebWork as an implementation for the MVC pattern uses OGNL "very interesting technique to expose Beans properties to JSP".